Porsche planning hybrid boost

Porsche claims its decision to make a petrol-electric hybrid the king-pin performance model in its Panamera luxury saloon range has been a hit with buyers.

The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid will go on sale in Australia in September, priced at $460,100 and offering a combined 500kW and 850Nm from its 4.0-litre V8 engine and electric motor.

The most powerful and expensive Panamera is capable of accelerating to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and achieving a top speed of 310km/h.

It is also claimed to have a 50km/h electric-only range and average 2.9L/100km on the European NEDC fuel consumption test.

It is the first in a series of performance hybrids that are expected to top Porsche model lines including the upcoming next-generation Cayenne large SUV and the Macan medium SUV, which is also rumoured to be all-electric in its next generation, as Porsche moves toward electrification and away from diesel.

The iconic 911 and the Cayman/Boxster sports cars are likely to offer hybridisation as well.

“The hybrid Panamera was not granted the top position in the range in spite of the hybrid technology but because of it,” Panamera global sales and marketing director Dr Stefan Utsch told motoring.com.au at this week’s first international media drive of the car in Canada.

“We at Porsche regard the hybrid system as a performance component or as the performance kit of the future.

“On top of this additional performance the customer can drive pure electric and get better efficiency.”

The V8 is the second plug-in hybrid available in Porsche’s large sedan range, along with the V6 petrol-electric Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, and Utsch hinted that more would be coming -- including the adaptation of performance version to the new Sport Turismo wagon.

“Technically that would be possible,” he said.

In a separate interview a Porsche spokesman confirmed the Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S E-Hybrid was already in the future model plans.

Utsch said the response to the hybridisation of Panamera had been “very positive”.

“The demand is higher than what we expected so far, but I cannot quantify,” he said. “We have much more order intakes than we actually planned, so that is positive to us.

“With the first generation of hybrid [Panamera] we had more-or-less five per cent [share of model sales], then with the first plug-in hybrid we had more-or-less 10 per cent and so now having the new performance-oriented hybrid strategy we will have more than 10 per cent.

“I cannot tell you the exact number but it will be more than before.”

In Australia, the expectation is the two hybrids will account for up to 20 per cent of total Panamera volume in a full year, or about 20 examples.

The $248,500 4 E-Hybrid is due to go on sale around the same time as the Turbo S E-Hybrid and will also be offered as part of the Sport Turismo range when it launches here next year.

“It’s a game-changer,” Porsche Cars Australia PR manager Paul Ellis told motoring.com.au. “If you think of hybrid as boring you are wrong.

“We have a lot of customer enquiry for this one. Why? Because of the whole performance angle.

“We have orders and that’s car unseen, undriven and just on spec. For a half-million-dollar motor car that’s impressive.”

Ellis wouldn’t say exactly how many Turbo S E-Hybrids would be allocated to Australia, but with such a high price it’s unlikely to be more than a handful.