Spy Shots: 2009 Porsche Panamera

2009 Porsche Panamera

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Wendelin Wiedeking has just recently announced, in an interview with the German motoring magazine Auto Motor & Sport, that Porsche's new four-door coupe, dubbed Panamera, has begun its testing marathon at the challenging Nuerburgring this week - and we have the first pictures that show the real car in full action.

Scheduled for an official presentation at the 2009 Geneva show, the Panamera is expected to be a strong competitor to the Mercedes CLS and the future Aston Martin Rapide, as well as Volkswagen's upcoming four-door coupe.

Though the Panamera takes over design elements from the 911 range, there will obviously be significant differences. While the 911 has always kept its rear-mounted boxer engine, the Panamera will have a choice of three front-mounted motors, although they'll be set back to the center of the car as much as possible.

The entry-level powerplant will be Volkswagen's 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine with 300 bhp, while Porsche's own drivetrain will be a direct-injection eight-cylinder gas engine, available in naturally-aspirated guise (350 bhp) and with twin turbos (560 bhp). That should be enough to beat out the competition for a while. However, should Stuttgart make the CLS even stronger, Zuffenhausen might strike back with the Porsche GT's 700-bhp ten-cylinder powerplant!

The target for the Panamera is to be a true sportscar, while at the same time being a "family car" for every-day use with four full seats, easy access to the rear, and a good-sized luggage compartment.

When it hits the road in 2009, Porsche hopes to be able to sell 20,000 units annually - and to jump over the barrier of 100,000 sold cars per year.

2009 Porsche Panamera

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2009 Porsche Panamera

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