Porsche Panamera enters the Indian car market

Porsche, the sports car brand owned by Volkswagen Group, has launched the Panamera model in the Indian auto market. The popular four-door sports coupe, now available in its second generation, has a price range of Rs. 1.19 crore to 1.23 crore. The second generation Porsche Panamera joins the bandwagon of numerous luxury cars that have been launched in India in 2013, such as Jaguar F-Type, Rolls-Royce Wraith, Bentley Flying Spur and Mercedes-Benz E-63 AMG

"The Panamera is Porsche's unique offering in the Gran Turismo segment - it has four doors and four seats but it's a sports car through and through. Luxury, comfort and driving performance all come together in a distinctive package in the new Panamera. With its introduction in India, our customers can look forward to a thrilling alternative in this segment," said Anil Reddi, Director of Porsche India, in an interaction with the media during the launch of the new car.

The premium sports car will be available in five models in India, namely Panamera Turbo, Panamera GTS, V6 Panamera 4, V6 Panamera and Panamera Diesel. The Panamera GTS comes with a naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8 engine that churns out 439.9 bhp of maximum power and 520 Nm of peak torque. As per company claims, Panamera Turbo scores on efficiency without compromising on the performance. It makes use of a 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine, which delivers 519.8 bhp of power and 700 Nm of torque. The best among all five variants of this sports car is the Panamera Diesel, which is fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine churning out a peak power of 249.6 bhp and 550 Nm of maximum torque.

The facelift version of Panamera comes with latest features, such as Porsche Communication Management plus Navigation, electric sun roof, BOSE sound system, air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Park Assist with reverse camera. PASM would not be available in the entry-level V6 petrol variant. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) is a standard feature in cars designed by this firm. The basic objective of this system is to provide improved grip and greater comfort, parameters that are not often fulfilled by several cars.

The facelift brings some improved driver experiences with the redeveloped Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) having virtual intermediate gears that improve fuel economy. The front suspension gets larger chassis mounts that offer better comfort and greater solidity. The company has also included certain extra features such as newly developed tyres, lighter 18-inch wheels and a specifically tuned Porsche Stability Management (PSM).

It gets wider spoiler and optional LED headlights that give the model a refreshing and trendy look. Moreover, a widened rear windscreen provides the premium sports car a visually lower stance. The LED headlights feature Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus and a 1000 W Burmester Surround Sound System is also included in the optional equipment. Interestingly, the liberty that comes with the new Panamera is that it can be highly customised through the Porsche Exclusive Program. The bookings of new Panamera have commenced across the eight authorised Porsche Centres in India, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.