In the Porsche calendar, this year belongs to the 911, with the 991 facelift being almost ready, but 2016 will also be a year to remember as far as Zuffenhausen is concerned. That’s when we should receive the second-generation Panamera.
To quench your four-door Porsche thirst, we are now bringing you a new series of spyshots, which reveal more of the cabin than we’ve seen in the past.
If we were to select the part of the current Panamera that would need to be upgraded the most, it would have to be the cabin. It all starts from the interior space - the current model didn’t offer enough room in the back, so Porsche introduced the elongated Executive version with the mid-cycle revamp.
This issue should be overcome by the all-new platform that will be used by the model. Called Modularer Standardantrieb-Baukasten (Modular Standard Platform), this will underpin a bouquet of full-size front-engined VW Group vehicles using rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The next-generation Bentley Continental and Flying Spur are two examples as good as any.
The current massive center console will make room for a more airy one, which will add up to the actual extra space mentioned above.
As you know, Porsche currently follows the “one-button-for-each-function” philosophy. In the future, we’ll get a melange between this layout and digitalised clean-up operations. Remember, many Porsche customers adore Zuffenhausen’s traditional way, so don’t expect their cars to follow the all-digital revolution.
We also get to see the second-generation Panamera’s door card, but all we can tell for now is that we’ll be dealing with a list of familiar styling cues.
As for what lies in the boot of the prototype, we wouldn’t rush to call it a hybrid test vehicle. In fact, the hardware looks more like the bits and pieces we’ve seen on the autonomous Audi A7. Come to think of it, Porsche is rumored to be working on an advanced cruise control that would thrill passengers through the bends, so the assumption might not be that much of a far stretch.
If we were to select the part of the current Panamera that would need to be upgraded the most, it would have to be the cabin. It all starts from the interior space - the current model didn’t offer enough room in the back, so Porsche introduced the elongated Executive version with the mid-cycle revamp.
This issue should be overcome by the all-new platform that will be used by the model. Called Modularer Standardantrieb-Baukasten (Modular Standard Platform), this will underpin a bouquet of full-size front-engined VW Group vehicles using rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The next-generation Bentley Continental and Flying Spur are two examples as good as any.
The details in the spy photos
First of all, we have to explain the prototype seen here still has a long way to go until reaching completion. For instance, since all Porsches have their ignition on the “other side”, the switch mounted on the steering wheel column clearly says the car still uses bits and pieces from the VW parts bin.The current massive center console will make room for a more airy one, which will add up to the actual extra space mentioned above.
As you know, Porsche currently follows the “one-button-for-each-function” philosophy. In the future, we’ll get a melange between this layout and digitalised clean-up operations. Remember, many Porsche customers adore Zuffenhausen’s traditional way, so don’t expect their cars to follow the all-digital revolution.
We also get to see the second-generation Panamera’s door card, but all we can tell for now is that we’ll be dealing with a list of familiar styling cues.
As for what lies in the boot of the prototype, we wouldn’t rush to call it a hybrid test vehicle. In fact, the hardware looks more like the bits and pieces we’ve seen on the autonomous Audi A7. Come to think of it, Porsche is rumored to be working on an advanced cruise control that would thrill passengers through the bends, so the assumption might not be that much of a far stretch.