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Porsche Panamera To Become Premium Offering For VW

Tony BorrozEdited by: Research TeamReviewed by: Research Team
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It looks like one of consequences of VW buying Porsche is that the controversial Porsche Panamera is likely to become some sort of premium, high end VW product. If not ending up a VW, the four-door coupe’s platform might end up with one of VW’s other brands, either Bentley, Bugatti or Audi. After amortizing all the development costs, the platform will most likely go away all together next decade.

Word comes from Edmunds, that VW has decided to share the Panamera\’s platform with at least one of VW’s premium brands. Some people were hoping that the Panamera platform would end up being the base for a production version of the Lamborghini Estoque four-door coupe. It would seem like a great contender for using the Panamera platform, but an inside source says the Panamera architecture will not underpin any future Lamborghini models.

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So, with Lambo out of the running, that means the remaining contenders are Bentley, Bugatti or Audi. The next-generation of the Continental GT could benefit from suing the Panamera platform, but it looks like Bentley will most likely use one of Audi’s aluminum platforms to save on weight. Also on the negative side of using the Panamera base as a new Bentley is that the Panamera is also much lower than the current Continental GT. Odd that.

Bugatti is still hemming and hawing about whether to make a second model, but the potential availability of the Panamera could sway the decision making process. Bugatti has been talking about making a four door for the longest time now, and being able to use the Panamera platform could make the decision easier.

And then, of course, there’s Audi. Sure, Audi could make use of the Panamera underpinnings, but they already have a number of four doors at their disposal. So it would seem remote at best that a Panamera version would end up coming from Audi.

No matter which company ends up using the Panamera base, there’s no word as to when we might see it. As far as the end of the line for the Porsche, sources say that will happen by 2017.

Source: LeftLaneNews

Photo from Flickr user SOCIALisBETTER

Make / Model
Porsche

3 Comments

  1. This doesn't make cense. Porsche or VW is not going to end production of the Panamera or the Cayenne any time soon for multi. reasons. The most obvious is that it would be the most moronic business decision of all time. Who ever would end production the the number 1 selling Porsche of all time (the cayenne and the money maker) and what will be the #2 selling of all time, and bring in boatloads of money as well, has to be the most idiotic business man ever born and should be kicked out of the auto industry. Also it was basically confirmed at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show that they will NOT be killed off. The new CEO said that he wants to reach sales of 150,000. He said he will be adding new models to the line up. Last time i checked when you take away the two hot sellers that doesnt bring you closer to 150,000 it pushes it back even further. So it makes ZERO cense of ending the production of the Panamera and that is a rumor that needs to die. Especially when the CEO said that he wants to reach new sales record of 150,000 which is IMPOSSIBLE without either the cayenne or the panamera. As for platform use, it would make the most cense to use the Panamera for a new bentley 4 door, because the continental needs to have more of a coupe like shape if it is going to contend in this new lux. market with the AM, Jaguar, MB, Maserati, and Porsche all adopting this new 4 door coupe.

  2. yeah, what they're talking about doing is shuffling off the Panamera to another VW division, and amortizing the costs. Then phasing out the platform sometime around 2015 or 2017.

  3. Sorry … I forgot to add that it seems that VW doesn't have any real problem with the engineering or the platform used on the Panamera, they just don't want it to be a Porsche … move it to being an Audi or something, let it run it's first life cycle to get the $$$s back, and then let it die off.

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