Porsche just announced the long-speculated Panamera product line is a go for the 2009 model year. According to Porsche, "the new car will be a premium-class sports coupe with four seats, four doors, and a choice of front-mounted engines driving the rear wheels," which is no surprise to those who've been waiting for the company to tip its hand. A company-released sketch also confirms the veracity of a current crop of spec photos, which have indicated a low, coupe-like four-door like the Mercedes CLS. The company is investing $1 billion in the project, from which it plans to sell 20,000 cars per year. [Thanks to RF for the tip.]
Some bullet points:
· The Panamera will be built on an entirely new platform, with no collaboration with another carmaker (e.g., no refitted Phaetons here).
· Production of the Panamera is to take place in Leipzig, where Porsche already builds the Cayenne SUV and the Carrera GT supercar.
· Production of the Panamera could create up to 1000 new jobs in Leipzig, Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, where Panamera engines will be built, and at the Weissach Development Center.
Still no word on engine choice, though a source told us the Panamera it likely won't use Cayenne s 4.5-liter V8, as had been rumored.
Related:
Frankfurt Preview: Porsche Panamera; Porsche Announces Pricing for Panamera; More on Porsche's Panamera; Why Can't Every One Be a Porsche: WSJ on the Luxury-Car Boom [internal]