Porsche Panamera

Porsche may have finally begun the marketing campaign for the forthcoming Panamera saloon, but that doesn’t mean the car is done and dusted.

These images show the four-door undergoing final tweaks before its official debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Production will begin shortly afterwards, with sales expected to start in the latter half of the year.

Set to battle it out with a new generation of super saloons, including the next Mercedes CLS, the Aston Martin Rapide and the Audi A7, the Panamera will break with Porsche tradition and feature a front-engine layout. A choice of three motors is expected initially: a VW-developed six-cylinder 3.5-litre unit developing 300bhp, and two versions of Porsche’s V8 unit developing 350bhp in standard guise, or twin-turbocharged to produce 560bhp. A 700bhp V10 is rumoured, too!

Engines will be mounted as for back in the chassis as possible to optimise front/rear weight distribution, and thus handling, though the car will be a full four-seat family chariot. Boot capacity of 450 litres and a wheelbase able to facilitate two adult rear occupants should ensure the family Porsche has enough practicality to satisfy most – giving bosses at the Zuffenhausen maker enough confidence to predict 20,000 Panamera sales per year.

And now that Porsche has officially started the Panamera pre-launch PR trickle, no doubt more images will emerge shortly. As ever, Auto Express will be the first to bring them to you.