Porsche Panamera getting close!

We’ve been asked for more than eighteen months “Is the Porsche Panamera for sale yet?”, and the answer has always been “No, but it shouldn’t be long”. Well it has been ‘long’ and it still isn’t here, but at least there’s some positive news on the horizon.

Autobild in Germany have told us that the prices for the Panamera are now known, which pretty much supports the idea that the car will become real in early 2009. About time too. Starting at around £70,000 and rising to over £100,000, the car ain’t gonna be cheap! But then, we all knew it wouldn’t be.

There will, apparently, be just 2 versions available at launch; the 4.8 litre V8 and the Turbo V8. Both engines will be pretty much the same as those in the latest Cayenne, and they’ll get the 7-speed version of Porsche’s brilliant PDK gearbox, which is not a bad starting point.

But the range isn’t going to stop there. Already planned, for 2010 is a 3.6 V6 (again, as with the Cayenne) and they’ve got a Hybrid planned for 2011 which will mate a 300bhp petrol engine with a 100bhp electric motor. I’m not a huge fan of hybrids, but if Porsche get this right it could well be a winner.

But what about show-stopping versions? Well, it would appear that Porsche are open to a version with the Carrera GT engine, which would easily take away the fastest saloon mantle from the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed. Plus, it seems almost certain that at some point Porsche will bite the diesel bullet by fitting the V12 from Audi (although they are already committed to using at least one of the Audi diesels in the Cayenne soon).

Don’t things change? A diesel Porsche. A diesel Porsche saloon, no less! But Porsche have to respond to the mood, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. I’m all for innovation and getting more for less (power for fuel use), and if Porsche get this right, which I’m sure they will, it should give a very good lead for other supercar manufacturers. Where will Ferrari and Aston Martin go with this route. It’s going to be very interesting to see.

Just one fly in the ointment for the Panamera. The Aston Martin Rapide, due to go on sale around the same time. Now that will be a beatiful car!