The Car of the Year prizes have been dominated by the Germans with many being awarded one of Autobild’s “Golden Steering Wheel” awards. The Porsche Panamera won the luxury car category, beating the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S Class, while the medium to large sedan category was won by the Audi A5 Sportback, followed by the BMW 5-Series GT and the Mercedes E Class.

Among the compact class, a nice win for the new Opel Astra, beating the Skoda Yeti, which came in second ahead of the Renault Megane. In its sector, the Renault Scenic emerged ahead of the Toyota Verso and Peugeot 5008, and among the small cars the Volkswagen Polo won over the Citroen C3 and Hyundai i20. The Toyota Prius took out the ecological prize, followed by the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion and the Mercedes S400 Hybrid.

The supercar category was dominated by the new Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing, followed by the Audi R8 Spider and the Aston Martin One-77. The finalists for overall COTY are the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Opel Astra, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Yeti, Toyota iQ and Volkswagen Polo. Take your bets now…

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Porsche has created this new Panamera commercial for the US market, though the spot goes beyond promoting just the four-door Porsche. All of the company’s important models, from road versions to race versions, appear briefly in the video, showing that the Panamera fits right in with the Porsche philosophy and style. Meaning that Porsche’s “family tree” reputation precedes it. Who knows how the Americans will welcome the new Porsche Panamera?

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From the 911 Sport Classic to the 911 Turbo and GT3 RS, the Porsche stand at the Frankfurt motor show had so much on display we hardly knew where to look. New Porsche president Michael Macht made the presentation to the press, with plenty of space dedicated to the Panamera as well.

The 911 Turbo coupe and cabrio were on show, equipped with the new 3.8-litre twin turbo engine with direct injection and 500 hp. PDK transmission is included with the welcome modification of steering wheel paddles and program options of Sport, Sport Plus and Launch Control indicated. New features such as Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) have also been developed. The 911 Turbo can be recognised by the new titanium air intakes on the front bumper, LED lights, larger exhaust and new alloy wheels.

The 911 GT3 RS with the 3.8-litre was also presented, along with the GT3 Cup 2010 and the 911 Sport Classic. The GT3 RS has 15 hp more than the GT3, taking total power to 450 hp, thanks to modifications to the air intake system and a lighter weight of 1,370 kg. It has a new aerodynamic kit, lighter door panelling, roll bar, titanium exhaust, PASM electronic suspension system, Porsche Stability Management system and new alloy wheels. Maximum torque is 430 Nm at 6,750 rpm and the GT3 RS is only available with manual gearbox.

In addition to all this, from 2010, Porsche is introducing new optionals, in the form of a lithium ion battery for track use, which reduces weight by ten kilograms compared to the conventional lead battery. Front tyre mechanisms also allow for raising the wheelbase and a larger fuel tank of 90 litres is also available. For the real die-hard sports fans, you can forego air conditioning and the radio and while Porsche has a luxury name in terms of cup holders, get the Panamera. You won’t find any of them on the GT3 RS.

Continue reading: Porsche stand at Frankfurt: live pics of 911 Turbo, GT3 RS and Sport Classic

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Rumours say that Volkswagen will abandon future models of the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Panamera, as they remove SUV and sedan models from the Porsche line-up in favour of others in the VW brand portfolio.

This would see Porsche go back to its sports-car roots to the delight of Porsche purists, wanting to see Volkswagen do the boring stuff best, while leaving sports cars to Porsche speciality. I should imagine it’s all unlikely to happen; as Motor Authority points out that following the logic, all sports cars from the Volkswagen and Audi range would be removed due to a subsequent overlap with Porsche.

With a seven year lifespan of most vehicles, we’re not going to see anything drastic anytime soon. And should the Panamera prove to be a sales success, the Volkswagen Group will hardly shoot itself in the foot by removing it from the list. And there’s the intriguing possibilities of collaborative projects between the two brands, including roadster and spyder models. All will be revealed sometime in the future…

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With this Panamera station wagon render could it be that the Porsche Panamera is becoming even more niche? Or is it leaving its self-made niche to join other niches? While this is likely to be a “fake” render and we don’t think we’ll see this in production anytime soon, Theophilus Chin has tried his hand anyway.

While I’m more convinced of a Panamera cabriolet, this is just plain ugly, to give my two cents. Surely there are limits to increasing sales figures? We’ll trust that Porsche keeps to its sports tradition and leaves this Panamera station wagon in the realms of web renders.

Source | Theophilus Chin

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German tuner 9ff has released these pics of its Porsche Panamera Turbo Tuning, with an even more extreme version of an already-fast Porsche. Horse power versions come in 550 hp (760 Nm of torque), 600 hp (800 Nm) and 650 hp (850 Nm).

Features include new turbo charging and exhaust system and some aesthetic touch-ups, like them or not. 22-inch alloy wheels complete the package.

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Jay Leno made a special appearance at the Porsche Zentrum located at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley California. While there he met with old friend David Donohue and the two went on a short drive in a Porsche Panamera Turbo. While on the test drive, Donohue taught Jay the proper way to use launch control in the new four dour Porsche. In 2005, Donohue and Leno both set several speed records in a production Porsche Carrera GT at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

Continue reading: Peeble Beach 2009: Jay Leno Porsche Panamera Turbo test

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The new Panamera will have Porsche Exclusive and Tequipment accessories featured on the other models in the Porsche range. The Exclusive fit-out can only be included at time of purchase, while Tequipment options can be purchased at dealerships at any stage.

The Panamera can be personalised to each customer, including custom-made requests, and new colours and interiors. Examples of the styles available include nautical designs with mahogany finishes, interior carbon fibre and alluminium options, Porsche logo stamped in the seats and Sport Chrono instrumentation available in Luxor Beige, Indian Red and Carrara White.

In the rear, you can order a 10.5 litre capacity fridge, Porsche Rear Seat Entertainment is available for passengers with multimedia system, touchscreen monitors and USB ports. The exterior features options such as roof racks, a variety of paint colours and a complete line of 18 and 20-inch alloys.

Continue reading: Porsche Panamera available in Exclusive and Tequipment

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Apparently the Panamera S does have some “drama and theatre” about it, doing things “a supercar does, only it’s got four doors”. If you wanted to get away from the fun of Top Gear racing the Royal Mail and beating a letter to northern Scotland, and get closer to knowing something about Porsche’s sedan, the place to go is the roads of Inverness.

My big question is: did they obey the speed limit in all of this? And, is Porsche happy about the kilometres they’ve racked up in the meantime?

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As the lads from Top Gear say, the four door Porsche Panamera sedan “ought to be good, seeing as it’s taken them 61 years to get around to making it”. After the first road test of the Panamera by Autocar, it’s now Top Gear’s turn in the guise of racing the Royal Mail postal service.

They don’t really need any excuses to go racing cars and so the Panamera S is tested from the very South of England, and driven right up to the Orkney Isles. The Top Gear team is driving the entry level version: the 4.4 litre V8 at 394 hp. It has a top speed of about 280 km/hr, does 0 -100 km/hr in 5.4 seconds and costs about 84,000 euros.

After an amusing discussion regarding the features of this Panamera S, (ceramic brakes, leather interior, sunroof etc), we find out it is equipped with a satellite navigator installed in the dashboard. But, bear in mind there is nothing “ridiculous” about this car: it’s German. Enjoy the video.

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Porsche has released two new videos of the Panamera: one of the turbo version and the other of the Panamera 4S. After the video of Autocar testing the Panamera turbo, we can get even closer to this new Porsche offering. The Panamera 4S (video after the jump) is equipped with the 4.8-litre aspirated V8 at 400 hp and all wheel drive.

Continue reading: Two new videos of Porsche Panamera

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The guys at Autocar have been among the first to road test the Porsche Panamera, testing the 4.8 litre, V8 turbo charged version with 500 hp and 700 Nm. The whole point of the test drive? To check whether the car actually drives like a Porsche should, despite the rear passenger seats and boot.

Any judgement would probably depend on whether the 95,000 pounds (or 112,000 euros) is worth it, but at least “they get the boring stuff right”. Apparently it compares quite well in price to a BMW 7-series or a Mercedes S-class. But neither of them is a Porsche. Watch the video to find out more.

Continue reading: Panamera road test video

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