Porsche insiders have revealed that a convertible version of the Panamera is coming up, and it will have its two rear doors dropped to increase chassis rigidity, making up for the lack of a roof. Porsche also wants to minimize the weight of the extra chassis reinforcements needed, which would swell up if it also had to make up for the fact that it had four doors.
Official statements from the company have been vague so far although they definitely point in a positive direction. “We have a broad range of 14 derivatives of the 911 that are very successful. So it stands to reason we should diversify the lineup for the Panamera as well,” said Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer. According to the insiders, the premium of having a convertible roof should add about 11,000 Euros to the roofed version’s price.
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
looks neat…
looks cheap hahahaha
cool~~but it lose its status as a high end sedan,then..
Can't compute.. they have all sorts of two door sports cars.. With and without the damn roof. A Panamera with two doors? The Panamera name will lose it's reference as Porsche's sedan. Next they'll introduce a track version of Cayenne, all lowered, two door and looking like a cross between 911 and Panamera coupe. Hope Maserati, Aston and Lambo doesn't follow suit.
I smell a Panamera Coupe in the works too….. :p
this will make panamera lose it status as a high end sedan…
Night train,
Yes, they havel all sort of 2 doors sprot car, but this is the only front-engined two door cabrio in porsche line-up. And a V8 at that.
And (may be) a proper rear seat & legroom for adult.
Not sure what they were thinking of this. The idea of the Panamera was to rival the Meseratti. Chopping roof off and surely you cannot fit people in the back seats anymore. More like sales gimmick to me. No wonder Porche's budget is not healthy at the moment…
911 with the engine in front then…
the 'full-sized' panamera is already very awful, wonder how will this cabrio version looks like…
You need to see the car and sit in it to understand that it is not awful. Yes the exterior styling is debatable as with all Porsches but that hasn't hurt their appeal and thus sales. The Panamera in my view wins against the Maserati Quattroporte but if you base your purchase decision on exterior styling, than understandable if one goes for the QPorte but for eveything else, the Panamera beats it hands down. It's also got better space compared to the AM Rapide.
Al least porsche design start to evolve
Thought the Panamera is Porsche's four door model.. Clearly the report that Porsche Panamera will be a drop-top two-door doesn't make any sense at all
above picture is a chopped, not real one laa..
Hi ppl,
Im in Oz atm, Nissan Oz is going to launch Nissan Dualis with a price tag AUD30,000… has it arrived in Msia?..Its a great looking car..
nice ride
How about Panamera Estate? hehehe
better still panamera shooting brake
i've already given up figuring out which porsche is which since they all look the same, despite having different engine layout etc etc.
thats something for porsche lovers. common folks just have to live with the fact that its a fast car for the rich.
csv,
agree!
Wow, it looks nice in cabrio version, even better than those 911s. BUT, I hope they wil redesign the back of the car because it will wont fit nicely in these cabrio version.
i think it looks great as a cabrio. however the rear design will remain to be seen. as far as the computer-generated image above is concerned, i think it's beautiful. of course, it will affect the 4-door panamera badge slightly. but if you ask me, i don't mind it. whatever it is i dont think that price range is within my league. lol
its not like i'm anti porsche or anti 4-door…
the Cayenne, Cayman and the discontinued 996 Turbo are still in my favourite list !!!
but come on, if Panamera wants to compete with Rapide, CLS, Quattroporte and upcoming 4-dr coupes from BMW and Audi, it has to be better than this, especially the exterior…
most ppl (really rich ppl) buy car without looking at spec sheet….
actually i think there's market for panamera. the car will sell. people do look at spec sheet, and it looks pretty good the more i look at it. It sounds great as well. Check out the driving footages. The Rapide is too small for 4-adults.
mitlanevo,
you are partly right that most rich ppl buy car without looking at spec sheet. But they don't ignore it entirely. They do look at the obvious bits like hp as they do want to know that what they are buying is something special.
The Porsche badge does influence the decision. Porsche buyers tend to be independent, wealthy people. It's not really a corporate decision like buying a Merc. Like the hp, they do look at bragging rights.
Whether the Panamera is worth the price tag against competitors, you have to see the car in the flesh and have a look.I have sat in it. It's very classy inside. Some potential buyers are even mentioning the Panamera in the same sentence as the Bentley Flying Spur. I don't think it's fair comparison but to mention both models in the same sentence says a lot about the Porsche.
I do think the pricing is a tad highish but I think it's ok. no harm erring on the high side a little with this particular model as they have a brand value to uphold. They can adjust it later if necessary. In any case, buyers in this category don't really nit pick over the price and are even willing to pay a premium just to be the first to be seen with such a new toy. Bragging rights.
gtmaniac said,
October 9, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Night train,
Yes, they havel all sort of 2 doors sprot car, but this is the only front-engined two door cabrio in porsche line-up. And a V8 at that.
And (may be) a proper rear seat & legroom for adult.
——–
Perhaps Porsche has forgetten its 944 and 928 were dismal sellers.
Or perhaps Porsche is trying to pull a Ferrari. Worked for them on the 575/599 and 612…..not so well on the 456