STUTTGART, Germany — The fourth model in Porsche's car line, now
scheduled to hit the market in 2009, will carry a hefty price tag of
between $125,000 to $175,000, Inside Line has learned.
Code-named Project D1, the
successor to the controversial 928 incorporates distinctive styling elements from the Cayenne SUV and the Carrera GT sports car. The roof is tall for easy entry and exit, and the rear end is high enough to swallow a set of vacation luggage.
Despite its pragmatic proportions and bigger-than-expected dimensions, the Panamera is instantly recognizable as a Porsche. Trademark cues include Carrera GT-type headlamps, large lateral front air intakes borrowed from the 911 Turbo, a wide tailgate à la Cayenne, and a four-light boomerang greenhouse to avoid that slouchy SUV/wagon look.
It blends a
front/midengine layout with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.
The major question remaining is
who will help Porsche develop and build it. Volkswagen is the likely partner. If that plan proceeds — a big if, as some at VW are balking — the joint project could spawn four different rear- and all-wheel-drive model lines — D1: Porsche Panamera, a four-door, four-seater hatchback coupe; D2: VW Phaeton replacement, a high-roof, theater-seating full-size luxury coupe-van hybrid; C1: a new five-door VW sportback to be positioned between the Passat and the Phaeton; and the E1: Bentley Arnage, Azure DHC and Continental coupe replacements.
What it means to you: Porsche is riding its recent success and the reward is new products for enthusiasts. If VW chips in, we might have a handful of new Porsches on our "To-Do" lists.
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Originally Posted by Quiggs
