Porsche Could Announce Panamera Super-Sedan This Week
From Edmunds.com (web page)
Quote:
STUTTGART, Germany - A visit to the Porsche factory by German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder this week could give the company an ideal opportunity to launch its fifth model, believed to be a four-door super-sedan called Panamera.
Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking could bring forward the announcement to this week, according to the German Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper - he had been expected to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September to disclose details of the car. However, ongoing talks with Porsche trade unions about job security could quash the early announcement plan.
The emerging super-sedan sector combines virtues of a traditional sedan with a coupe. Mercedes-Benz's CLS model, a low-roof derivative of the company's E-Class, kick-started the sector. Volkswagen is believed to be looking at a similar car, based on the Passat, and VW could hold the key to the Porsche Panamera.
Porsche sources suggest the car will be a second collaborative venture with Volkswagen. The Cayenne shares its platform and many mechanical parts with VW's Touareg; the Panamera - Porsche registered the name earlier this year - might in a similar way use the VW Phaeton luxury sedan platform, a move that would cut development costs significantly. The new model will join the Cayenne, 911, Boxster and Cayman ranges in the Porsche portfolio.
What this means to you: The super-sedan sector is another kind of crossover - and judging by the positive response to the Mercedes CLS, it's a good idea. Porsche's Midas touch should mean it's on to another winner.
... second collaborative venture with Volkswagen 
But it's not unexpected really. Porsche and VW have a long history of collaboration and there are still many stockholder and management connections between the two companies. And really, the Cayenne collaboration went pretty well up to a point. With Porsche doing the bulk of the design and engineering, the vehicle is great in that regard. There is no great problem with the VW assembly either. The problems seem to be with quality control of the third party suppliers, which I assume VW is controlling (or maybe not controlling 
). I wonder if Porsche may try to solve the problem by turning this product over to a third party assembler, like BMW does with the X-3. 
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I also don't see that the most important Porsche market, the US, really wants or needs a sports sedan.
. So I never complain about the gas price anymore 
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