03/08/2008

Porsche Panamera news

Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking recently announced it in an interview with the German motoring magazine Auto, Motor & Sport, and here is the proof:
Porsche’s new four-door coupé – Panamera, which has begun its testing marathon at the challenging Nürburgring.


Scheduled for an official presentation at the 2009 Geneva show, the fourth range from Porsche is developed to be a strong competitor to the Mercedes CLS and the future Aston Martin Rapide.

Though the Panamera takes over design elements from the 911 range, there will be significant differences too. While the first has always kept its rear-mounted boxer engine, the newcomer will do with a choice of three front-mounted motors, though set back to the centre of the car as much as possible.



The entry-level unit will be Volkswagen’s 3.5-litre six-cylinder unit developing 300 bhp, while Porsche’s own drivetrain will be a direct-injection eight-cylinder petrol engine, available in naturally-aspirated guise (350 bhp) and with twin-turbo (560 bhp). That should be enough to beat out the competition for a while: Mercedes’ CLS 63 AMG comes up with “only” 514 bhp. However, should Stuttgart make the CLS even stronger, Zuffenhausen would strike back with the Porsche GT’s 700-bhp ten-cylinder unit ...

The target for the Panamera is to be a true sportscar while at the same time it shall be a family-car for every-day use with four full seats, easy access to the rear and a luggage compartment of around 450 litres.

When it hits the road in 2009, Porsche hopes to be able to sell 20 000 units annually – and to jump over the barrier of 100 000 sold cars per year.

Second Generation Porsche Cayenne

When this second gen prototype first hit the streets near Stuttgart, it was speculated that it was the new “baby” Cayenne. However, closer inspection puts this prototype at the same size as the current Cayenne.

Despite decreasing popularity for SUVs, Porsche plans to adapt the Cayenne by offering diesel and hybrid versions. With an accelerated launch schedule, pushed through by Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking, Porsche hopes to launch the new Cayenne by the first half of 2010, eclipsing the next generation VW Touareg which is expected to debut in late 2010 at the earliest.

Mercedes SLC Spied

This is the very first pictures of the so-called SLC Gullwing revival prototype actually showing its 'gullwing' doors coming from worldfancars :



Its existence rumored since the first prototype images surfaced in the American dessert over a year ago, the project, which is being developed by AMG partner in Deutsche Tourenwagon Masters (DTM) championship, HWA Racing, pays homage to the legendary 300 SL Gullwing from the fifties.

According to Car Magazine, the Gullwing will be aimed primarily at the Porsche 911 Turbo with a target price of roughly €150,000 – both a coupe (codenamed C197) and a roadster (codenamed R197) will be produced and it will be slightly smaller than the outgoing SLR.

Power will come from AMG's 6.2-litre V8 producing 550bhp and 445lb ft of torque, allowing the Gullwing to achieve 0-60mph in just 3.8 seconds, maximum speed stands at 185mph.

The coupe is likely to make its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show with the roadster set to arrive a year later, there are only 6000 units of each model planned and is currently penciled in to cease production in 2013 :