Porsche puts finishing touches on luxury four-door Panamera

Tag : Door Spring

Porsche's Panamera sedan is headed for a debut at the 2009 Genevamotor show next spring, but engineers are busy putting prototypesthrough paces on the roads of Europe and some were snapped during arefueling stop.

With the 2010 Panamera, which likely will go on sale not long afterthe Geneva show, Porsche takes aim at vehicles such as theMercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7 and Aston Martin Rapide.

The engine lineup is expected to include a base 3.5-litersix-cylinder engine from Volkswagen. That powerplant will makearound 300 hp. Porsche is also developing a direct-injectioneight-cylinder gas engine to crank out 350 hp in normally aspiratedguise and a whopping 560 hp after twin turbos are mounted.

A V6 gasoline-electric hybrid, based on the powertrain Porsche willintroduce in the 2010 Cayenne, also will make its way into thePanamera.

Porsche looks to sell 20,000 Panamera units a year worldwide.