These are the most revealing photos of Porsche’s all-new Panamera Mk2 to date, as we scooped several examples of the car testing in the Arctic Circle with only their lights covered in deceptive stickers.
As many suspected, the second iteration of the Panamera is almost a spitting image of Porsche’s Sport Turismo Concept from the 2012 Paris Auto Show – and whereas the car we spied is the direct replacement to today’s liftback Panamera, Porsche will add an identical shooting brake model to the range too.
Porsche’s designers evolved the Panamera’s styling in a way that, while it’s clearly a descendant of the current car, it actually looks a whole lot sleeker, and this was achieved through tauter surfaces and by altering its proportions, as well as smoothing out the roofline and getting rid of that heavily-criticized frumpy rear end. It should also get the same 3D-effect slim rear lights as the Sport Turismo.
The new model is tipped to benefit from a heavily redesigned interior with a significantly reduced number of knobs and buttons on the center console, along with increased rear passenger space, mainly thanks to a slightly longer wheelbase. An extended wheelbase version of the liftback model will appear in the second generation of the Panamera too.
There’s more than meets the eye to the G2-codenamed 2017 Panamera, as it’s based on a new and advanced rear- and all-wheel-drive platform named ‘MSB’, which is destined to underpin several other luxury models in the VW Group, including Bentley’s next generation Continental and Mulsanne range. It will incorporate multiple weight-saving measures to drop up to 200 pounds (90kg) over the current car.
Power will come from a new family of V6 and V8 gasoline engines, with diesel and plug-in hybrid variants to be thrown into the mix, paired to a new generation of PDK dual-clutch automatic and manual gearboxes (depending on the market and model).
Porsche plans to launch the new Panamera before the end of this year.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops
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