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Stephen said:
If Porsche is to use an existing chassis to save developement costs, why not the A8? It is super strong and very light in terms weight. It seems that would be the better platform to build from.
Well, one of our sources saw an A8 with PCCB in Weissach but apparently Porsche developped the new ceramic brake for Audi and this wasn't a Panamera protoype like we thought in the past. I think that Porsche has to be careful regarding the weight. Porsche will use the new direct fuel injection V8 engines in the Panamera, this is for sure. But these engines can't do miracles regarding fuel consumption. The Panamera is rumoured to have a 2000 kg maximum weight figure in the specs but I'm not sure Porsche will be able to achieve it.
Earlier rumours indicated something around 1850 kg.
Porsche urgently needs the Panamera because if fuel prices are rising higher and higher over the next few years, the Cayenne will suffer a lot from that. This is why there have been rumours of a Cayenne hybrid and we heard that a Porsche/VW prototype should be presented to the public sooner or later, maybe even at the IAA in Frankfurt.
However: I still think that a Cayenne Diesel would be the better and cheaper choice. Dr. Wiedeking claimed in a recent interview that people are buying Diesel cars only because Diesel is so cheap over here in Europe compared to fuel.
He seems to forget that a 314 HP Mercedes V8 Twin Turbodiesel with a better performance than a Cayenne S can drive around with 9 litres of Diesel per 100 km only. Even if the driver drives at peak performance, consumption shouldn't exceed 13-14 litres of Diesel per 100 km.
My Cayenne Turbo eats up to 44 litres of 98 octane fuel when driving at full power.
If the Panamera will be based on the super heavy weight VW Phaeton, this would be a huge mistake. People don't care too much about weight on the Cayenne but a sports limousine at 2.5 tons? I don't think so.
And I'm also a little bit worried regarding the Panamera: look at the new Mercedes CLS and the new upcoming S class.
Up to 614 HP and more, how can Porsche cope with that? 700 HP?
I also don't see that the most important Porsche market, the US, really wants or needs a sports sedan.
Whoever wants to move the family, buys the Cayenne, even if it eats a little bit more fuel. And whoever wants a sports car, buys the 911. Especially since the 911 can be a perfect daily driver.
I don't know if the Panamera was the right decision. I know only one thing for sure: in my opinion, Porsche produces too many cars right now, they almost entered mass production.
This can be good for quality and profit but this also can substantially decrease resale value (and it already did with the 996 and 986 for example) and exclusivity.