Porsche has provided the clearest hint yet that its long held plans to expand the Panamera line-up to include a sporting estate have already progressed past the crucial decision-making stage and into the realms of new model development, with the unveiling of this production realistic concept car, the Panamera Sport Turismo
The up-market five-door, which showcases a development of the existing Porsche petrol-electric hybrid system complete with plug-in capability for the first time, is one of at least three new Panamera-based models Zuffenhausen bosses have been mulling over since the introduction of today’s liftback model to the line-up back in 2009. Visual changes over today’s liftback include an extended roofline, longer glasshouse and angled tailgate that opens at bumper height.
The unveiling of the Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake rival in concept car form at the Paris motor show is set to proceed an official announcement from Porsche boss, Mathias Muller, confirming the new style-led estate will form part of the second-generation Panamera line-up, whose platform structure will be shared with future Bentley models as part of closer engineering ties being forged between the two Volkswagen Group-owned companies.
“The body concept of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow,” says Porsche, without providing any official time line for the introduction of the production version. However, sources close to the German car maker say the new estate will make its market debut in 2016, with production set to take place alongside a successor to the liftback at Porsche’s increasingly active Leipzig-based factory, which also turns out the Cayenne and is also set to handle production of the upcoming Macan as well.
Porsche investigated spinning an estate off the current Panamera design but the high cost of re-engineering its rear body structure, including vital changes to the bulkhead to allow through loading, ultimately proved prohibitive. As such, the new model has been integrated into the development process of second-generation Panamera line-up from the start, ensuring its production can be amortised with other models. “In terms of the overall concept, the estate is not too far removed from the liftback. Both use a large tailgate, with the structure engineered appropriately to suit both,” Autocar was told.
Thanks to: Autocar
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