Panamera diesel in the works but no coupe

The company that said it would never build a diesel four-wheel-drive is working on introducing a diesel sedan. German sportscar maker Porsche introduced a diesel-powered Cayenne SUV after it could no longer ignore such strong demand. The diesel all-wheel drive now accounts for more than a quarter of all Cayenne sales globally, and helps fund development of the maker’s sportscars.

And now, as the company is putting the finishing touches on a petrol-electric hybrid version of its Panamera sedan (due for release mid-2011), Porsche has also confirmed its working on diesel power for the four-door for introduction the following year, 2012.

This is in direct contrast to what the Carsales Network was told by Panamera body and package chief Dr Ludwig Hamm at the sedan's launch in Germany last year.

"It is not announced yet but a diesel [Panamera] would be quite sustainable," says Dr Stefan Utsch, the sales and marketing manager for the Panamera.

"Diesel engines are very popular in Europe in this [luxury] class."

But fitting the diesel engine from the Cayenne to the Panamera is not quite as straightforward as it may seem, hence the reason it will follow the hybrid by 12 months. Though the sedan and all-wheel drive share major architecture there are significant differences in the room under the bonnet. Porsche therefore had to develop unique V6 and V8 petrol engines for its 4WD and sedan models.

The head of powertrain for the Panamera, Christian Heiselbetz, told the Carsales Network that the Volkswagen Audi Group-sourced Cayenne’s V6 turbodiesel engine can fit under the Panamera’s nose -- just! In fact, it’s so tight the sedan will be a rear-drive-only proposition, and even then it will require some re-engineering work required to wriggle it in.

Meanwhile, Porsche says there are no plans to expand the Panamera line-up -- despite constant speculation (and computer illustrations) among the motoring press about coupe, convertible and even wagon versions.

"Of course, we look at everything," says Utsch. "But that does not mean we build everything.

"The Panamera platform has a lot of possibilities but you must look at the business case of each one. Right now we are focusing on getting all engine variants of the current Panamera into the global markets," Utsch said.

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