Panamera News
Here's an interesting news report on the Panamera from CAR Online (click HERE for link to web page)
A sample from the article:
A sample from the article:
Quote:
Porsche is going it alone on the Panamera, despite some whispers that Toyota was approached for a collaboration - and Volkswagen. Porsche owns a big chunk of VW stock, and Zuffenhausen boss Wendelin Wiedeking wields much infleunce with the VW board.
There was a plan to twin VW's proposed C1 luxury hatchback and the Panamera, on a platform with a rear transaxle, a front-to-mid engine installation and a lightweight body architecture. But VW cancelled the C1, so the R&D costs can't be shared.
Porsche's engineers would have preferred to stick with the transaxle layout. But this standalone solution would have cost more cash, and it's virtually impossible to add four-wheel drive. By mating the gearbox directly to the engine, four-wheel drive remains an option which insiders expect to materialise in the second half of the Panamera's life cycle.
