The Porsche Panamera

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat luxury saloon/sedan, which was launched in 2009.
• The Panamera's name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race.
• In November 2008, the first official image of the Panamera was leaked.
• The Porsche Panamera production model was unveiled at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in Shanghai, China on April 2009.
• The Porsche Panamera and Panamera S are marketed as a direct competitor to full-size luxury cars such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
• The high performance Panamera Turbo competes in the ultra-luxury segment alongside "exotics" such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte.
• Like the Porsche Cayenne SUV, the Panamera upset many Porsche enthusiasts, since it was seen as an attempt to broaden Porsche's appeal beyond that of hardcore fans.
• In 2008, Porsche AG announced the development of a parallel hybrid system for the Panamera.
• Production began in April 2009, one month after its debut in the Shanghai Motor Show in China. Porsche will keep production rate at around 20,000 cars per year.
• The Panamera comes with the Porsche Traction Management (PTM), which is Porsche's name for its fully-controlled, four-wheel drive system.
• The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid will use the same powertrain as the one on the Cayenne S Hybrid.
• On 27 April 2010, Porsche announced the recall of all 2010 Panameras due to potentially faulty seatbelt mounts.