2010 Porsche Panamera Officially Debuts in Shanghai: Video And Images

It's been a long  time coming, with plenty of details already offered up by Porsche, but the German supercarmaker's Panamera four-door saloon has finally been officially unveiled.

Porsche had confirmed it would pull the wraps at the Shanghai Motor Show on April 20th. A handful of new photos and the last few missing details have also been revealed in the process.

While the styling has polarised fans, there's no mistaking that the Panamera is a Porsche through and through.

The front end is instantly recognisable, while the hind quarters looks to be a mix of equal parts Porsche 911 and Cayenne.

We've covered the vast majority of the technical details, but in brief the Panamera will come in 3 distinct flavours. An entry level V6, the mid-range V8s and the range topping V8 turbo.

Initially, only the V8 models will be on offer. Starting with the Panamera S, the 4.8 litre V8 is good for a solid 300kW (400hp). The Panamera 4S is powered by the same engine, but sends its power to all four wheels.

The range-topping Panamera Turbo uses a force-fed version of the 4.8 litre donk and will punch out 373kW (500hp). Four-wheel drive comes as standard on this model.

Porsche notes that an entry level V6 model and a hybrid will follow after the official release in Germany on the 12th of September.

While the Panamera may seem a little at odds with the rest of the Porcshe lineup, with the exception of the Cayenne perhaps, Porsche is confident the Panamera is made of the right stuff:

"Our engineers, technicians, and designers have invested all their know-how, years of experience, a wealth of ideas, and their full passion for sports cars in this four-seater Gran Turismo."

With Start-Stop technology, air suspension (including air on demand for individual springs), active aerodynamics, and Porsche's PDK dual-clutch gearbox (standard), the Panamera is a technological smorgasbord.

Prices start at AUD $123,700 (USD $89,000) for the Panamera S while another AUD $5000 is required to upgrade to all-wheel drive in the 4S. The top-spec Turbo will start at AUD $184,300 (USD $132,600).

Prospective buyers won't see the Panamera in dealers until September at the earliest, when Germany will start taking deliveries. The US will then follow in October with no word on a release date for Porsche fans down under.

For further information on the official debut, hit the press release and the gallery below.

Porsche Panamera makes World Debut in Shanghai

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, presented the Panamera to the world public today at the 13th Auto Shanghai. Joining the 911, the Cayenne, and the Boxster/Cayman, this new four-door Gran Turismo is Porsche's fourth model series, with three variants entering the market in Germany on 12 September 2009. The Panamera is making its debut as an eight-cylinder delivering 400 and, respectively, 500 horsepower and with both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, a six-cylinder gasoline model and a hybrid version following later.

Klaus Berning, Executive Vice-President Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, expressed a clear view at the world debut of the Panamera: "Introducing the Panamera, we are entering a market segment completely new for our customers and we are once again consistently expanding our model portfolio."

Through its design and looks alone, the Panamera clearly stands out from the competition at very first sight. Like no other car in its class, it offers a truly unique combination of sporting performance and luxurious comfort. Despite its low and sleek silhouette so typical of Porsche, the Panamera, measuring 4.97 metres (195.7") in length but only 1.42 metres (55.9") in height, ensures a generous feeling of space on all four seats.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, Porsche's Executive Vice-President Research and Development, added an equally clear statement: "Our engineers, technicians, and designers have invested all their know-how, years of experience, a wealth of ideas, and their full passion for sports cars in this four-seater Gran Turismo."

The Panamera is introducing no less than five outstanding innovations in technology as world premieres to be admired for the first time in the luxury performance class – among them the first Start-Stop system in conjunction with automatic transmission, air suspension with additional air volume available on demand in each spring, as well as active aerodynamics with an adjustable, multi-dimensional, extendable rear spoiler on the Panamera Turbo.

Porsche's Gran Turismo sets new standards in its market segment in terms of performance, driving dynamics and efficiency, benefiting from Porsche's traditional core competences and years of experience in motorsport, since efficient and powerful engines, lightweight technologies, and optimised aerodynamics are crucial to success also on the race track. All models in the Panamera range come with Porsche Direct Fuel Injection, low-friction drive systems, and weight-optimised lightweight bodies.

Moving on to the suspension, the customer can choose among steel suspension or adaptive air suspension with a fully-controlled damper system. And thanks to its intelligent chassis concept, the Panamera combines the driving comfort of a luxurious grand touring saloon with the driving dynamics of a thoroughbred Porsche sports car. Depending on his individual style of motoring or current traffic conditions, the driver can choose either a particularly comfortable or an especially sporting set-up most conveniently at the touch of a button.

With its centre console extending back from the dashboard all the way to the rear seats, Porsche's new Gran Turismo offers an unprecedented feeling of space and motoring pleasure on all four seats, highlighting the personal ambience and style of each individual passenger. The driver's seat and cockpit offers optimum ergonomics all round, a low seating position providing that direct contact to the road again so typical of Porsche. The passengers, in turn, all enjoy highly comfortable single seats. The luxuriously appointed interior, finally, already offering a supreme standard on the regular series models, may naturally be upgraded on request by a wide range of optional extras and special equipment.