Monday 22 April 2013

PORSCHE PANAMERA BRINGS HYBRID, NEW V6 BITURBO






Porsche has unveiled the facelifted Panamera. The car was lifted out of its covers in China at the 2013 Auto Shanghai. Several changes were made, especially under the skin and one of these has been the introduction of the Panamera S E-Hybrid with an incredible claimed fuel consumption figure.


Let’s start with the S E-Hybrid. The base unit is a 3.0-litre petrol engine that’s mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Electricity comes from a pack of lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged in a matter of hours. In total the system puts out 306kW and 590Nm of torque between 1250rpm and 4000rpm. Now here are some really unbelievable number: Porsche claims the S E-Hybrid can average 3.1 litres per 100km from its 80 litre fuel tank! That’s incredible. C02 emissions are 71 g/km. The car will be able to go from 0 – 100km/h in 5.5 seconds and top off at 270km/h.

The other new models are the V6 biturbo units that replace the “old” 4.8-litre V8. Powering the Panamera S and Panamera 4S, the engine pulls out 309kW at 6000rpm and 520Nm between 1750rpm and 5000rpm. The cars are rated at 5.1 and 4.8 seconds respectively in terms of the 0 – 100km/h sprint.

Lastly Porsche has paid tribute to the fact that China is now its second-most important market after the USA, and that Panamera specifically has had about a third of its sales go to China since it was launched. In order to thank that market and supply a model that’s high in demand, the Panamera Executive range was announced. It’s just like the other models, except its wheelbase has grown by 15cm, making it a sort of limousine.

Porsche South Africa will release the new Panamera within the next few months. 

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