Net Cars Show: Porsche Panamera

Showing posts with label Porsche Panamera. Show all posts

You Won’t Believe Why Porsche Headlight Thefts Surge in Amsterdam

While pot smokers can puff a sigh of relief after Amsterdam's mayor stated that cannabis cafés will remain open for business with foreign visitors, despite a new Dutch law designed to reduce drug tourism, Porsche car owners in the city won't be sharing the same sentiment.
Only in the past week, some 20 owners of Porsche Panamera sedans and Cayenne SUVs in Amsterdam had their vehicles' headlamps stolen.
If you are wondering why the sudden surge in Porsche headlight thefts, the answer will leave you stunned: Amsterdam Police suspect that the thieves are using the Porsche Xenon headlamps for use as grow lights for marijuana!

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Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Makes its Driving Debut in Beverly Hills

When Porsche launched the Type 970, aka the Panamera saloon at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show, it received quite a lot of criticism. Though in no way did it induce the wrath of the press and the public like the Cayenne SUV did, they all agreed that its design was, if not ugly, then certainly heavy-handed.

It was an issue that came up in each and every review: the Panamera was praised for its sporty ride, quality interior and ability to transport four adults and a fair amount of luggage but its exterior styling was always the sticking point.

Fast forward three years to the 2012 Paris Auto Show and the Panamera Sport Turismo concept. In sharp contrast to the production Panamera saloon, the shooting brake received universal praise for its sleek styling that, the company said, “is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow”.

After the fiasco with the Burberry-themed Range Rover, Carlex Design decided to play it safe with its newest project car based on the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

Instead of drawing inspiration from fashion houses, the Polish tuner says that this time, the Panamera it created was "inspired by the yellow brake caliper covers that had been installed on that vehicle".

Another week, and instead of just another Porsche, it's a special edition Porsche – not that you will be able to tell the difference…

This time it's the Panamera V6 in both petrol and diesel guises that has been blessed with a Platinum Edition version packaging some exclusive but subtle styling details together with expanded standard features.

Talk to most people about the current Porsche Panamera's biggest flaw, and they are very likely to point towards its exterior design. Porsche’s foray in the segment may be a fine sports saloon featuring a nicely crafted interior, but its bodywork is unexciting to some, ugly to most.

Company CEO Matthias Muller talked to Motor Trend at the Paris Auto Show and said some very interesting things about the company's future models.

First of all, Muller revealed that the head- and taillights of the Panamera Sport Turismo concept, which was displayed in Paris, will gradually be applied to all Porsche models, starting with the Macan compact luxury SUV that’s due next year.

Porsche is giving us a strong hint at the future of the Panamera series with its new Sport Turismo Concept that was unveiled during a press event on the eve of the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

With the Panamera Sport Turismo concept, Porsche's intention is to kill three birds with one stone, in the sense that it is previewing both a new design language for the next Panamera saloon and a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, while also testing the waters for an expansion of the series with a more practical and roomy, estate-like model.

"The body concept of the Panamera Sport Turismo is an outlook on a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow," said the company in a press statement.

The Sport Turismo is 1,990 mm wide, 1,401 mm tall and 4,950 mm long, which makes it 61mm wider, 17mm lower and 20mm shorter than the current Panamera.

At least in concept form, the Sport Turismo has a slightly more aggressive and simultaneously sleeker appearance than today's Panamera, but this could all change once it enters the realm of production.

The rumors about Porsche readying a sporty-looking station wagon concept - much in the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake, for the Paris Motor Show turned out to be true as the first images of the study hit the web today.

Named the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, the prototype foretells the future of the Panamera series previewing the next generation model's design language, the addition of a second body style and judging by the ghost picture and the 'e-Hybrid' badge on the front door, a plug-in hybrid variant.

The lines and styling elements of the Panamera Sport Turismo including certain elements such as the shape of the headlamps and tail lamps, clearly inherit the design DNA of Porsche's latest models like the Boxster, 918 Spyder and the 991.

With over 8 million subscribers and more than 50 labs, Consumer Reports claims to be the world’s largest independent product-testing organization. As far as the automotive industry is concerned, falling short of CR’s standards could spell bad news or at least bad publicity for any new model.

In its latest issue, the publication tested the Ford Escape Titanium and SE compact SUVs and the Infiniti JX, while also conducting two comparison tests: one in the compact upmarket segment, where the Acura ILX faced the Buick Verano, and the other in the luxury sedan category with the Fisker Karma placed against the Porsche Panamera S.

The direct translation for the German term Blitzkrieg is 'Lightning War' and it usually refers to the World War II Nazi strategy of rapid concentration of force at high speed to break the enemy front.

In the world of performance sedans, the Germans don't have a lot of enemy fronts to shatter as the only notable rivals from foreign automakers are the Cadillac CTS-V and the Jaguar XF-R (S), but they're still attacking the segment with lots of force.

What do they have is a lot of internal competition, sometimes even within their own house (i.e. M3 Sedan, M5 Sedan).

Never mind frowning 911 fans and motoring journalists: launching the Cayenne SUV in 2002 and expanding its portfolio with a notchback sedan was probably the move that saved Porsche.

Buyers voted with their wallets, the SUV was a huge sales success and, ironically, it also brought in new customers and the much-needed cash that made developing the 911 and the Boxster possible.

The second-generation Cayenne is doing very nicely too and will be joined in 2013 by the smaller, Audi Q5-based Macan, further increasing Porsche’s clientele and helping reach the 200,000 annual sales target.

Created by Porsche to fill the gap between the 394hp (400PS) 4S and 493hp (500PS) Turbo Panamera models, the GTS comes with a mildly tuned naturally-aspirated 4.8-liter V8 engine delivering 424hp (430PS) and upgraded chassis components and looks.

According to Porsche's own words, the Panamera GTS is the "sportiest model in the range", but that did not deter Anderson Germany from making a few changes of its own to allegedly improve the sports saloon.

Earlier this month, we told you that aside from the upcoming Macan crossover and the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, Porsche is plotting a second supercar model with a conventional powertrain and a smaller version of the Panamera sedan, internally known as the Pajun.

As it turns out, these aren’t the only new models under consideration at Porsche's Stuttgart headquarters as Car&Driver is reporting that the German firm will unveil a station wagon concept of the Panamera with a "shooting brake" moniker at the Paris Motor Show in late September.

Named after the French character with the distinctively long nose in Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, the Cyrano is a tuning package for the Porsche Panamera Turbo and Turbo S models from Hamann Motorsport.

The engine upgrades, which among other things, include a custom exhaust system and an ECU optimization, are common for both the 493hp (500PS) Panamero Turbo and its 543hp (550PS) Turbo S sibling with output increased to 595hp (603PS) and peak torque to 870Nm (642 lb-ft).

If you have been following our spy stories, you might know that Carscoop reader 'Toldi' has a knack for filming prototype Porsche models on public roads in Germany.

After spying the facelifted 2013 Panamera and the new generation of the Cayman coupe earlier this year, Toldi has recaptured Porsche's sports limousine in a district of the company's hometown of Stuttgart.

A number of Porsche Panamera sedan and Cayenne SUV Turbo models made it to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) recall list because the turbine wheel of the turbocharger in those vehicles may fracture due to a casting defect.

"If the shaft fractures, oil may be drawn into the exhaust system, resulting in smoke and the increased risk of a fire," the safety agency said.

If it's added power that Porsche Panamera Diesel owners want, then TechArt has a solution with the release of a new performance kit named "TA 070/D1" that includes a software optimization for the 3.0-liter V6 oil-burner.

With the reprogrammed ECU, output is bumped from 247hp (250PS) to 276hp (280PS), with maximum torque climbing from 550Nm (406 lb-ft) to 600Nm (442 lb-ft).

Quite a day for future Porsche models as Carscoop reader Toldi sent in three videos showing two lightly camouflaged prototypes of the facelifted Panamera sports sedan and the all-new Cayman coupe.

We'll begin with the updated Panamera that receives a mid-life makeover for the 2013 model year. As evidenced by the cleverly placed disguise, both ends of Porsche's second best-seller after the Cayenne SUV will be redesigned to offer the Panamera a fresher look that's more in line with the new 911.

If you are thirsty for some BMW M5 F10 action, the fans over at the M5Board forums have you more than covered with multiple videos of the 560-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V8 saloon competing against some of the most capable sports cars in the world.

In no particular order, we see the F10 M5 challenging a Porsche 997, a Ferrari 458 Italia, a Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a Porsche Panamera Turbo S, an Audi RS6 V10, a Corvette Z06, a G-Power BMW M3 and even the previous M5 E60.

All you have to do is turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy the videos that follow right below.

If there is one thing Germany's premium automakers have in common, it is that they will not shy away from any segment however niche or different from their core philosophy it may be.

After breaking several taboos initially with the Cayenne SUV and the Panamera sedan, and soon enough with the Macan compact crossover, Porsche is now reported to be mulling the development of a smaller sedan along with a shooting brake variant!

The news comes from German car magazine Autobild, which says the new car is named Pajun and is expected to arrive in the market by 2017.

The countdown to the launch of the refreshed 2013 Porsche Panamera is definitely on with the Germans having entered the car's final development stages.

Carscoop reader Toldi filmed a couple of lightly disguised prototypes of the revised Panamera while exiting a gas station in a district of Stuttgart, Germany.

Net Cars Show

You Won’t Believe Why Porsche Headlight Thefts Surge in Amsterdam

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Makes its Driving Debut in Beverly Hills

Carlex Design Goes to Work on a Porsche Panamera Turbo S

Porsche wants to Spoil Panamera V6 Customers with New Platinum Edition

Porsche CEO Says Sport Turismo to Influence Future Models’ Design, Hints at New 'Ring Record Time

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo in Detail with Live Photos and Promo Video [Updated]

New Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept Previews Next Sedan and Shooting Brake Model

Fisker Karma Once Again Lambasted by Consumer Reports in its Latest Tests

Blitzkrieg! New BMW M5 vs Porsche Panamera GTS in MT's Latest Duel

Porsche’s “Baby Panamera” Rumored to Come in Saloon and Shooting Brake Flavors in 2017

Anderson Germany gets Jiggy with Porsche Panamera GTS Sports Saloon

Porsche Rumored to Debut Panamera Shooting Brake Concept at Paris Motor Show

New Hamann Cyrano Brings Out the Flashier and Sportier Side of the Porsche Turbo and Turbo S

U Spy: 2013 Porsche Panamera Caught on Film Once Again in Stuttgart

Porsche Recalling Panamera and Cayenne Over Fears that Turbochargers May Break

TechArt Promises a Power Boost at the Touch of a Button for Porsche Panamera Diesel

U Spy: 2013 Porsche Cayman and Panamera Facelift Snagged on Film

BMW M5 F10 Versus Some of the Best Sports Cars in the World

Porsche Working on New Pajun Sedan and Shooting Brake Model, Says Report

U Spy: Facelifted Porsche Panamera Prototypes Filmed at Gas Station