Porsche unveiled the new Cayenne in April and it's already gearing up for another major debut scheduled to take place before the end of the year. The third-generation Panamera is going to break cover on November 24 at the Icons of Porsche Festival where attendees will be able to check it out in the following days, November 25 and 26. Yes, the House of Zuffenhausen labels the car as a new generation rather than a facelift for the existing model.
Ahead of its world premiere, the 2024 Panamera is undergoing final testing after previous evaluations in the United States, Scandinavia, South Africa, Asia, and Spain. The "four-door sports car" will be offered with no fewer than four plug-in hybrid powertrains. In fact, Porsche intends to sell the car in some markets almost exclusively with an electrified setup.
2024 Porsche Panamera First Drive
The outgoing model already had three PHEVs while its replacement will add a fourth one in the shape of a high-performance flavor, according to Thomas Friemuth, head of the Panamera product line. In the tests conducted thus far, Porsche did the math and concluded the prototypes were driven up to 70 percent more on electric power compared to the preceding model.
All E-Hybrid models will get a more potent electric motor fully integrated into the housing of a new dual-clutch, eight-speed automatic transmission (PDK). The e-motor will obtain its energy from a 25.9-kWh battery pack that can be juiced up through an 11-kW onboard charger. As for the combustion engines, these have already been engineered to meet the Euro 7 standard scheduled to come into effect in 2025.
When it comes to the available air suspension setups, the base Panamera will get new two-valve shock absorbers featuring independent compression and rebound. At an additional cost, the optional active damper control will feature a more sophisticated chassis for greater comfort and driving dynamics.
Earlier this year, Porsche invited us to test the new super sedan (it's technically a liftback) in Spain. It's where we had the opportunity to sample an entry-level Panamera 4 with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 and a Turbo E-Hybrid with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. We learned the E-Hybrid models will have an 140-kW electric motor (up from 100 kW) and that aforementioned 25.9-kWh battery (up from 17.9 kWh). Weight wasn't mentioned, but the chunkier battery has added about 50 pounds while the fancy new suspension another 45 lbs.
Following its official debut in the UAE in late November, the next-gen Panamera is expected to hit the market at some point in 2024.
