As a sign of the country's expanding economy and increased global importance, Porsche will publicly present the new four-door Panamera for the first time at Auto Shanghai 2009 in China from 20-28 April. The unique, four-door Gran Turismo will be making its world debut at a press conference on 19 April prior to entering the market in late summer.
The Panamera offers the sporting and dynamic characteristics expected from a Porsche, combined with a high standard of driving comfort. Despite its low and sleek coup silhouette, the Panamera offers ample space for four passengers and a substantial amount of luggage. And the Panamera proudly boasts power units offering a high standard of fuel efficiency, despite the car's outstanding performance.
All power units featured in the Panamera are V-configuration with either six or eight cylinders, each with Direct Fuel Injection, and covering a power range from 300-500hp. The Panamera will make its debut with a normally-aspirated V8 and a twin-turbo V8.
Depending on the model, power is transmitted by a six-speed manual transmission or the Porsche seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) (Double-Clutch transmission). As a further option, the Panamera Gran Turismo will be available with the Sports Chrono Package, giving the car even more sporting and dynamic engine and gearshift characteristics, and enhancing the dynamic performance of the Panamera to an even higher level.
The V6 and V8 normally-aspirated versions of the Panamera come as standard with rear-wheel drive. The top model in the range, with its turbocharged power unit, in turn, features PTM (Porsche Traction Management) with active all-wheel drive. PTM is also available on the other models as an option.
In addition to the regular suspension featuring variable dampers for a sporting but comfortable driving experience, the Panamera is also available with the option of a brand-new, adaptive air suspension. This ensures a particularly wide range of suspension characteristics; an even higher standard of comfort and extremely sporting driving dynamics when needed.
For example, in the Sport Plus Mode, the air suspension lowers the car, giving it greater aerodynamic efficiency and improving its center of gravity, enhancing driving safety and reducing fuel consumption. As a further option, the Panamera is available with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, an innovative feature which actively compensates body roll in bends and improves the car's responsiveness and smoothness on bumpy roads when driving in a straight line.