Porsche ends 2023 in style. The reason is the two millionth car produced at the Leipzig plant, and the honor went to the third generation of the recently revealed Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid.
The car is finished in Madeira Gold Metallic and has already found its owner in the United Arab Emirates. It is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 bi-turbo engine combined with an electric motor with a total power of 680 hp (507 kW) and 686 lb-ft (930 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph). It is equipped with a 25.9 kWh battery and an 11 kW charger that shortens the charging time despite the higher energy content.
The plant in Leipzig employs more than 4,400 people, and over the years has become a center for electric vehicles, and in the future it will produce three types of powertrains: combustion, electric and hybrid drives, all on the same production line.
“The success story of our Leipzig location is closely linked to the Panamera. Like the location itself, the model represents growth and change. Also, our employees are our biggest success factor. Without the commitment of our team, there were many challenges we wouldn’t have been able to master,” said Gerd Rupp, Chairman of the Management Board of Porsche Leipzig GmbH.
The new Panamera comes with new technology, the Porsche Driver Experience, first introduced in the Taycan, with the focus on the driver. It is equipped with a semi-active chassis with new two-valve shock absorbers that can regulate compression and rebound independently of each other. In this way, the range between comfortable and sporty settings is significantly expanded even with the new serial chassis.
The third generation Porsche Panamera was premiered a few days ago at the Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai. It is a spacious car with technological, luxury-oriented amenities, whose story began with the first generation presented at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in April 2009.
The new Panamera comes with new technology, the Porsche Driver Experience, first introduced in the Taycan, with the focus on the driver. It is slightly longer than the previous generation (5,052 millimeters; +3 mm), while the height of 1,422 mm and width of 1,938 mm remained the same.
It is equipped with a semi-active chassis with new two-valve shock absorbers that can regulate compression and rebound independently of each other. In this way, the range between comfortable and sporty settings is significantly expanded even with the new serial chassis. There are also larger air intakes, newly designed Matrix LED headlights, wider fenders, a redesigned rear spoiler. The Turbo E-Hybrid version will have spoilers with different air intakes, a body-colored air diffuser, bronze-colored tailpipe tips, while the Porsche badge will be in the new Turbonite color.
“With the active chassis we are setting new standards. We could feel this on every meter of our test drives – very comfortable on the cobblestones in Barcelona harbor, and highly dynamic and agile on the winding country roads outside the city,” said Thomas Friemuth .
Inside, the car features a quality sporty ambience with a fully digital screen that offers a multitude of customization options, while driving controls are positioned closer to the steering wheel allowing the driver to react faster in certain situations. For the first time, there is continuous ambient lighting along the entire panel. An optional head-up display is available, which can be operated directly from the sports steering wheel. The mode switch for selecting driving programs and the navigation switch have been moved from the center console to the steering wheel, opening up space for physical switches and a control panel for the climate, as well as newly designed electrically adjustable air vents. The newly designed rear seat system and seat foam materials provide greater passenger comfort, and for the first time Porsche offers a car with Race-Tex and Pepita fabric instead of leather.
When it comes to the powertrain, the new generation of Panamera comes with four e-hybrid options, based on a more powerful electric motor. Entry models (Panamera and Panamera 4) will be powered by a 2.9-liter V6 engine with 353 hp (263 kW) and 569 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque. That’s 23 hp and 50 Nm more than its predecessor. That’s enough power to propel the car to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 272 km/h (169 mph). Panemera 4 will reach 62 mph in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 270 km/h (168 mph).
The most powerful version, the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 bi-turbo engine combined with an electric motor with a total power of 680 hp (507 kW) and 686 lb-ft (930 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph). It is equipped with a 25.9 kWh battery and an 11 kW charger that shortens the charging time despite the higher energy content.
The car can be ordered in Europe and the first deliveries will start in early 2024. It will cost between 107,800 euros and 192,500 euros, depending on the version.
