2010 Porsche Panamera photos ahead of public debut

The world debut of the 2010 Porsche Panamera is scheduled to take place in Shanghai on April 20, 2009, at 11:30 am during the Shanghai Auto Show in China.

“The Panamera will thrill aficionados of exclusive, sporting cars the world over,” said Porsche’s President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, adding that by presenting the car in Shanghai, the Company is demonstrating its strong commitment to the up-and-coming Asian markets. “This is a clear signal that we count on these markets and have full confidence in their future economic potential.”

To underscore the significance of the debut location, China alone accounted for 7,600 customer deliveries in fiscal year 2007/2008, a growth in sales of more than 140 per cent.

With the four-door Panamera, Porsche is making a strong move into the luxury performance segment, appealing to customers who want the comfort and spaciousness of a luxury sedan and also expect the performance of a Porsche. With the Panamera, Porsche will reach new customers while offering existing customers of the marque a whole new range of options.

The segment which the Panamera competes extends from GT sports cars to performance sedans, accounting in economically good times for a global volume of approximately one million units a year. Porsche plans to sell an annual average of at least 20,000 units of the Panamera worldwide throughout the entire lifecycle of the car.

The Panamera introduces a number of technical innovations in the premium segment. Apart from the PDK (Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) double-clutch gearbox and the first fuel-saving start-stop system in conjunction with an automatically-shifted transmission, highlights include Porsche’s new adaptive air suspension with additional air volume on-demand, as well as active aerodynamics, with a multi-dimensional rear spoiler on the Panamera Turbo. With a particular focus on fuel economy, the Panamera also features efficient V8 engines with Direct Fuel Injection, intelligent lightweight construction and other technical features which reduce frictional and hydraulic losses.

Like the Cayenne, the new Panamera will be built at Porsche’s plant in Leipzig. It go on sale in Canada in October, with a starting price of $115,100 for the Panamera S. The all-wheel-drive Panamera 4S is priced at $120,300 and the range-topping Panamera Turbo is $155,000.