Porsche is updating its Panamera sedan with more powerful engines and a sportier design

Contrary to some rumors suggesting that the next generation Panamera will be all-electric, Porsche has decided to keep the internal combustion engine standard and upgrade to plug-in hybrid versions. This choice reflects Porsche’s understanding that, despite the growth of electric mobility, other markets are not yet fully prepared for a full transition to electric vehicles.

While in Europe, especially in places like Norway, electricity supply plays an important role, in other areas such as the US market, Latin America and the Middle East, electricity supply is not as important at the moment, although this dynamic is expected to change. next time.

This Porsche strategy, to maintain variants with combustion engines “until the regulations allow it” – as Frank Moser, responsible for of the development of the two lines of the sports models 718 and 911 – differs from that adopted by other German manufacturers of premium models, such as BMW and Audi, which have opted directly for electricity in most of their models.

“We are in a transition phase towards electrification, and we believe that at this stage it is quite logical to have different types of electric train,” said one of the Porsche officials, who has been involved in the project, in a press conference. Panamera since its inception 18 years ago. The first generation had only one hybrid option, and with the launch of the new third-generation Panamera, the German manufacturer has expanded its offering to four hybrid models.

Engine and features

The E-Hybrid variants are powered by an improved version of the four-liter turbo V8 engine, as well as a new 190 HP (140 kW) electric motor. Together, they produce a power of 680 HP (500 kW) and a torque of 930 Nm. In this third generation, Porsche has integrated the electric motor in the position of the eighth PDK dual-clutch transmission, which has also been completely renewed, eliminating the need for a separate position for the electric motor and saving almost five kilograms.

The manufacturer’s data shows that the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid can accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.2 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 315 km / h. Its electric battery gives it a range of up to 91 km, an 82% improvement from the 50 km of range offered by the previous generation. In addition, it has a fast charger that reduces the charging time to 2 hours and 39 minutes.

The petrol version, which is the base variant of the Panamera, has an improved 2.9 liter turbo V6 engine. This engine now produces 353 HP (260 kW) and 500 Nm of torque, which represents an increase of 23 HP (17 kW) and 50 Nm compared to its predecessor. This allows the Panamera to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 272 km/h.