Porsche Panamera to share its platform with other Volkswagen brands
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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As a result of the takeover by VW, Porsche's new Panamera platform will now be shared with another Volkswagen Group brand. Porsche previously was adamant at not sharing the platform with other marques, but the company's integration into the VW Group has reversed that decision. Among the possibilities of the VW brand that will have that platform are the Bentley, Bugatti and Audi. For Bentley, the new rear-/four-wheel-drive, four-seater platform could provide a new platform with which to replace the Continental GT. However, the substantial differences in the heights of the Continental and the Panamera could make it unsuitable.
It's also possible that the British company may already have selected Audi's lightweight aluminum MLB structure as part of its campaign to reduce weight (the Panamera's platform is steel). For Bugatti, Porsche's platform offers the possibility of a front-engined model of either two or four doors, but while a five-door GT model might provide a complement to Audi's successful R8 supercar, the Panamera's steel structure and the substantial market overlap between these models are likely to rule it out for Ingolstadt.
Future plans for the Panamera include the introduction of gasoline V6 engines derived from the company's V8 in 2010, and a hybrid version in 2011. One thing's for sure, the Panamera will not be replaced when the brand is ended in 2017. What's unlikely is a diesel model since its rivals large-capacity, high-performance V8 and V10 diesels have not found a lot of buyers.
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