GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

The plug-in hybrid has officially turned bad-ass.

Porsche has revealed details of a new flagship variant in its polarising Panamera line-up. Perhaps fittingly, the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid employs a plug-in hybrid drivetrain in order to achieve superlative performance and equally baffling fuel economy.

Due to be unveiled at next month's Geneva motor show, the Turbo S combines a 404kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol with a 100kW electric motor powered by a 14.1kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that is rear-mounted.

The flagship will arrive in Australian showrooms around September 2017 priced from an eye-watering $460,100.

An eight-speed automatic transmission sends drive to all four wheels. The casing around the PDK unit also houses the electric motor and clutch pack.

The resulting 3.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration time makes the plug-in the fastest variant of the Panamera line-up. The Turbo S E-Hybrid can travel onto a claimed top speed of 310km/h.

Equally impressive is the new Panamera's fuel economy claim of just 2.9L/100km, about one-third of the regular Panamera Turbo's claim.

Serving as an exciting precursor to the German sports car marque's highly-anticipated Mission E production car, the Panamera can travel up to 50km on electricity alone.

It also builds on the existing V6-hybrid Panamera model, with four driving modes (electric, hybrid, sport plus and boost) to drive electric anti-roll bars, optional four-wheel steering, and launch control, among other features.

Porsche says the Turbo S-E Hybrid can be fully charged in six hours when using a regular 10-amp household connection. That time falls to 2.5 hours when an optional on-board charger is specified, working in concert with a 32-amp connection.

The range-topping Panamera will herald the introduction of a new everyday tech application for Porsche in Australia. On top of being able to start the charging process remotely via the app, users will have the option to access MyCalendar and MyDestinations, Contacts, Picture Navigation and a WiFi hotspot.

It won't be short of performance gear or bling either, according to Porsche. Standard features include: ceramic composite disc brakes, dynamic chassis control 'sport' with torque vectoring and 21-inch alloy wheels in the 911 Turbo design.

The basic package also contains auxiliary air-conditioning, adaptive aerodynamic elements and three-chamber air suspension including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM).

Orders for the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid are open now, with the car due to land in Oz during the third quarter of 2017. motoring.com.au understands this is just the beginning of Porsche's hybrid plans.