Published: Sep 27, 2012

Porsche Reveals Panamera Sport Turismo Concept

The Panamera grows a wagon roofline, Boxster headlights, 911 taillights and plug-in hybrid powertrain for this Paris concept.

Every year before the Frankfurt or Paris Motor Show (they switch locations each year), the Volkswagen Group holds a preview event where all its new concept cars and production models are displayed. Now that the purchase is complete, that includes Porsche, which surprised the gathered members of the press with the show car you see here. What you might notice first about the Panamera Sport Turismo is the wagon body-style, but that's not all that's different about the concept.

Porsche Reveals Panamera Sport Turismo Concept

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Ignore the lack of side-view mirrors for a moment and you may notice new headlights that look similar to those on the new Boxster and taillights similar to those on the new 911. The interior is also revised with more centralized controls to replace all those buttons on the current Panamera's cabin, enjoyable a space as it is. Of course the conversation-starter is the revised wagon form that looks poised to take on the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake and help the Panamera fend off those who find its existing roofline similar to, as Jeremy Clarkson described the Chrysler Crossfire, a "dog doing its number two."

Porsche has also fitted the concept with a PHEV powertrain called the e-Hybrid system that combines a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 to a 95-horsepower electric motor to delivers 416 horsepower for a sub-six-second 0-62 time. It represents a further development of the parallel hybrid system already found in the Panamera and Cayenne S Hybrids. Whether Porsche adds the Sport Turismo to the Panamera catalog will likely boil down largely to how it's received this week in Paris. Expect the other subtle tweaks to make it on to a facelift for the existing model. (Images courtesy of Porche, Newspress and UnitedPictures.)