Porsche Panamera: Long Wheelbase planned

Porsche Panamera LWB Planned

Now Porsche is just a Volkswagen company, it has to look to yield value across its range. It also has to contribute to keeping emissions in check across its performance cars to keep the average CO2 in check.

Which explains not just the Cayenne Hybrid, but our story yesterday that the Porsche Panamera Hybrid will bow in at Geneva and the news that Porsche will introduce hybrid cars across its range.

But actually, the CO2 targets are a nonsense. What really matters are the nasty emissions; stuff like NOx, Hydrocarbons and particulates. Now if they were – as indeed they should be – the emissions car companies had to reduce, then Porsche would be sitting pretty, because even the 911 is cleaner than most eco cars.

Small (and opportunistic) rant about stupid CO2 emission targets apart, being part of VW (back to the first tenet of this article) means Porsche has to respond to the market, even when the market is demanding something Porsche would not traditionally offer.

So we saw the Panamera launch a couple of years ago and now we’re getting the hybrid Panamera. But it also seems like we’re going to get a proper Porsche Limo – the Porsche Panamera LWB.

According to Autoweek, Porsche are being pushed to introduce a LWB version of the Panamera, particularly for the US and Chinese markets.

The plan is to stretch the Panamera by a full five inches – all within the wheelbase – to give a huge rear cabin. You have to remember that the Panamera isn’t like the Rapide – it already has a rear cabin as commodious as most luxury cars. With that extra five inches you’ll be able to get up and party in the back.

It looks like the LWB Panamera will arrive in 2012, together with a nip and tuck for the, by then, three year old Porsche.

Whatever next? An electric Boxster?

By Cars UK