Porsche Is Planning Some Awesome Panamera Variants

A wagon, and maybe a coupe and convertible, are coming soon.

byWill Sabel Courtney|
Porsche Is Planning Some Awesome Panamera Variants
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When the next-generation Porsche Panamera arrives on American shores in 2017, the only version available will be the two-box Jelly Belly sedan we've come to know and (weirdly) love. But it won't be on its own for long. The new Panamera range will soon be expanded to include a wagon version inspired by the Sport Turismo concept car—and that wagon will be making its way Stateside.

That's the good word from Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer, who confessed as much to Automotive News during a recent media event. However, while the second-generation Panamera sedan is expected to arrive here in early 2017, those wanting a wagon will have to wait even longer.

"We have to have some patience for [the wagon] to arrive in the U.S.," Zellmer told Automotive News. "But we are confident that this car will be well received here, despite the fact that this country doesn't really like hatchbacks or wagons."

The new Porsche Panamera will likely make its world debut at or just before the Paris Motor Show this fall. European sales of the sedan are expected to kick off later this year, with the wagon going on sale there sometime in 2017.

While "hey, a reborn 928!" may be one of those rumors that never quite dies, it's not necessarily unrealistic. The seemingly limitless growth potential of the high-end luxury car market combined with how easy modern-day platforms make it for automakers to spin off new vehicles, has given the GT class a new lease on life in recent years. BMW resurrected the 6 Series back in 2003, the venerable Mercedes-Benz CL-Class was reborn as the S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet, and Audi may be considering diving into the field with an A9. And that's on top of all the exotic GT cars to which Porsche probably prefers we compare a Panamera coupe, such as the Bentley Continental and the Aston Martin DB11.

And, hey, in an era when four-doors and sport-utes have become Porsche's bread and butter, we're going to cling to any news that the automaker might build another sports car like a life raft.

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