The Panamera turned out to be the best decision Porsche has made in the past few years, and with this kind of success, there’s no shame in exploiting the sheer beauty of the Panamera by also offering it as a convertible. It’s also not surprising considering that when the Panamera debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show, rumors were already circulating that the German manufacturer was already planning for the drop top version. Those rumors were later confirmed by some patent applications and hence the Porsche Panamera Convertible was born. We expect to see it sometime in 2012.
Dürheimer first revealed the information during an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, where he also mentioned that because of its size the Panamera Cabrio would only feature two doors in order to maximize rigidity. The latest patent designs show a four-door cabrio, however. Our preview renderings above show what both might look like.
If the firm gets the nod from VW’s board, the new cars will be based on the second-generation Porsche Panamera platform, which is due to arrive in 2014.
Once the Panamera is launched, the firm will add a smaller, two-door coupe to the range – which is being referred to internally as the Pajun, short for Panamera Junior. The smaller coupe will be front-engined, recalling the old 928, and use the same six- and eight-cylinder engines as the larger car. It is unclear whether the new car will be rear-drive only or offer four-wheel-drive on top-spec models like the Panamera.
The new models are also likely to share components with the next Bentley Continental GT, particularly now former Porsche R&D boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has been installed as Bentley’s new chief, signaling the VW Group’s desire to increase economies of scale at its luxury brands.
If the firm gets the nod from VW’s board, the new cars will be based on the second-generation Porsche Panamera platform, which is due to arrive in 2014.
Once the Panamera is launched, the firm will add a smaller, two-door coupe to the range – which is being referred to internally as the Pajun, short for Panamera Junior. The smaller coupe will be front-engined, recalling the old 928, and use the same six- and eight-cylinder engines as the larger car. It is unclear whether the new car will be rear-drive only or offer four-wheel-drive on top-spec models like the Panamera.
The new models are also likely to share components with the next Bentley Continental GT, particularly now former Porsche R&D boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has been installed as Bentley’s new chief, signaling the VW Group’s desire to increase economies of scale at its luxury brands.