Porsche to make a grand tourer from the Panamera sports sedan? Not so fast, says Porsche chief.

October 30, 10:06 PMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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There have been reports on the internet that Porsche is hard at work on a grand touring two-door version of the Porsche Panamera. It's certainly plausible, considering Porsche's rapidly expanding product lineup and it would be relatively easy to rebody the Panamera.

Not so fast, however, is what Porsche AG president and CEO Detlev von Platen told Examiner.com in an Oct. 29 interview. While von Platen didn't specifically deny that such a project was underway, preferring to talk about what he called a "fantastic" response to the Panamera, the origins of the Panamera's development starting with a briefing of Porsche engineers five years ago, and how the Panamera is making competitors nervous.

We don't, said Bernd Harling, p.r. general manager of Porsche Cars North America, talk about future product.

Von Platen was, however, willing to talk about Porsche's full hybrid strategy of that will start with the Cayenne, followed by the Panamera. The hybrid Porsches will, according to von Platen, have a 30 percent fuel savings, with fuel consumption sufficiently low as to not qualify for the gas guzzler tax. It will be an opportunity, said von Platen, for owners "to do something special [but] with no compromise in sportiness."

But as to a 2+2 version of the Panamera, well, there was no denial. And we know what we mean when we try to change the subject...

Illustration: 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo. Credit: Porsche Cars North America

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