Porsche Panamera makes official public debut at the Shanghai Auto Show

We've checked out the Porsche new Panamera sedan before, but now at the Chinese land at Shanghai Auto Show, Porsche officially shows the Panamera to public eyes. While it was a surprise for the Chinese, the Panamera will be the halo performance sedan for the German automakers.
Porsche calls it "Four, uncompromised". However, we think it should be "five, uncompromised", because from pictures, the Panamera is obviously a 5-door hatchback. A rather ugly 5-door, just look at the back-end, it's simply awful. Even the front headlights don't seem designed properly. Or maybe the Panamea isn't "photogenic"; maybe it's fine in-person view; it just depends on personal taste. Although that can't be said to the Panamera's interior.
The interior is nicely appointed with lots of luxurious leather, metallic trim on the center console, polished wood on the dashboard. The gear-shifter is raised up for control feel for the driver. The sport seats also hugs the driver and passengers in place, while there seems to be plenty of space at the back.
Let us not forget that the 16.3 foot long Panamera is a Porsche. So that means, it will be well-made, filled in with Porsche technology, and ofcourse fast. The new Panamera is fitted with an electronic air suspension, along with a limited-slip differential. Porsche engineers have also worked wonders to make the Panamera balanced.
The engine up-front is a 4.8L V8, with starting power in the base Panamera S of 393 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The Turbo S model adds two turbocharges to the V8, to produce 493 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. To balance things up, Porsche is offering rear or all wheel drive. Moreover, the 7-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) gearbox is planted at the back of the car. Porsche also used light-weight materials for the body and doors; to put the overall weight at just 1,770 kg, which is lighter than a Dodge Challenger V6!
However, it's faster than any muscle car. The base rear-drive Panamera S gets to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds, and tops out at 175 mph, while the all-wheel drive Panamera 4S gets the same top speed, but 60 mph comes quicker at 4.8 seconds. The top Panamera Turbo S is supercar fast propeling from a stand to 60 mph in 4-seconds flat, and reaching till 188 mph.
Porsche has high ambitions for the Panamera. They're aiming to sell approximately 20,000 units of the Panamera each year, with the automaker estimating that 20% will be the range-topping Turbo model. Once established, Porsche hopes demand will increase to 50,000 units annually, with sales beginning in the U.S., Europe and Asia next year. With a starting price tag of the S model at $89,800 and the Turbo S at $132,600, the Panamera is very competitive to other German high-performance sedans like the new 6.3 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, and twin-turbo V8 BMW 750i.

Source : [Porsche]