With the champagne flowing and the black tie crowd gathered, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. unveiled its first-ever four-door sports sedan – the Panamera – at a posh Buckhead venue Oct. 1.
CEO Detlev von Platen stood near the gleaming luxury sedan, on loan from Germany, as he chatted enthusiastically about the model’s unique combination of sports car horse power – as in 500 horsepower - and comfortable amenities.
“This model was built from scratch,” said von Platen. A lengthy project in the making, everything about the car is new, except for the V-8 engine, a hybrid version of the V-8 from the Cayenne – Porsche’s first foray into the SUV realm.
Introduced at Auto Shanghai in China in April 2009, the Panamera is the first all-new Porsche in seven years. With four doors, four seats, eight cylinders, seven gears and numerous innovative design and technical features, the Panamera is a true four-door sports car – and truly unlike anything else on the road, Porsche says.
The Panamera rolls onto U.S. dealer lots Oct. 17, including Jim Ellis Porsche and Hennessey Porsche. Porsche representatves from Atlanta will act as ambassadors for the glamourous new model, traveling the country to promote the luxury car, with a starting price tag of $89,800, von Platen said.
Asked if Volkwagon AG’s recent acquisition of Porsche would impact the Atlanta headquarters of Porsche Cars North America, von Platen said, actually it could prove to be a benefit.
The VW assembly plant in Chattanooga, now under construction, is expected to generate jobs in Georgia and this merger merely enhances that, he said.
When it goes on sale later this month in North America, the Panamera will be entering one of the most competitive and high-profile segments of the car market, going up against models such as the BMW 7-series, the Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Maserati Quattroporte.
“Introducing the Panamera, we are entering a market segment completely new for our customers and we are once again consistently expanding our model portfolio,” said Klaus Berning, executive vice president, sales and marketing of Porsche AG, in a release.
Porsche expects to sell up to 20,000 Panamera models worldwide in the first full year of production.
source: atlanta.bizjournals
