Emperor:
Valid points but I disagree. The Panamera is not a car that can be chauffeur driven. The characteristics of the 400hp V8 is very sporty with max torque available at 3500rpm meaning that the car is designed to be driven at high revs. Listen to the exhaust note as well, the car is too noisy to be a chauffeur driven car. The power delivery is much more comfort oriented in an S-class where high amounts of torque is available at very low revs.
As for the adaptive seats and cruise control those features can be found in almost all new high end premium cars. Generous headroom in the rear is a no brainier as Porsche wants a car that functional and can sell day in and day out. No pointin making a vanity car that will have it's sales drop down rapidly after 1.5 years. Functionality wins in the long run. The Cayenne and Panamera will ensure that Porsche won't have to worry about cash flow in the future. Surviving on the 911 alone is incredibally difficult as sales for sports cars are unpredictable and fluxtuate dramatically.
I'm not the one who is saying the Panamera can be "driven by a chauffeur", It's Porsche when I saw the Panamera "in flesh".
In countries like China (Porsche's # 3 market), if you're wealthy you have a chauffeur .... and it is also the case in other Emerging Markets.
Regarding RC's comment on the Panamera being targeted for the US.
- There is very little overlap between Luxury SUV buyers and Panamera buyers according to Porsche's market research. Overlap is in the tune of 10-15% max.
- If this car was US oriented, I doubt they would have gone for a hatchback which is not popular at all in the US....
- Most of Emerging Markets dealers do need something else than the Cayenne to sell ...
- Dealership number is very rapidly increasing in Emerging Markets, hence the crucial need for a "second model"
FY 06/07
Russia
Cayenne: 1,699 (or 89% of Total)
911: 133
Boxster/Cayman: 68
Middle-East:
Cayenne: 3,467 (or 65% of total)
911: 1,240
Boxster/Cayman: 623
Latin America
Cayenne: 1,280 (or 64% of total)
911: 440
Boxster/Cayman: 290
China:
Cayenne: 2,510 (or 81% of total)
911: 400
Boxster/Cayman: 195
East / South Europe
Cayenne: 1,583 (or 53% of total)
911: 998
Boxster/Cayman: 421