Porsche will unveil its new second generation Panamera sedan at this year’s Paris auto show using Volkswagen Group’s lighter-weight, more fuel-efficient MSB platform, which also is expected to underpin models from Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. This marks the brand’s second major product rejuvenation after the recent revamp of the mid-engine 718 Boxster/Cayman model line.
The new Panamera will go on sale in Europe shortly after its public debut in Paris on Sept. 29. China and the U.S., the brand’s two biggest single markets respectively, will follow in 2017. The Panamera was the slowest-selling of Porsche’s five model lines last year, but it has proved popular in particular in China where customers prize the four-door sedan’s roominess not offered in the 911 sports car.
Porsche chose the country’s fashionable Shanghai metropolis to serve as its backdrop for the first-generation Panamera’s world debut seven years ago during an exclusive event high up in the city’s famous World Financial Center skyscraper.
To bolster demand, Porsche is expected to add a Shooting Brake variant in Europe next year with a more station wagon-like silhouette. The added functionality is expected to appeal mainly to consumers in Europe where wagons remain popular due to their better handling compared with SUVs.
Global sales of the Panamera declined 31 percent to 17,207 last year, making it the worst performing model if the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman are counted together. The Panamera’s best sales year was 2012 when 29,030 were sold.
