Porsche is set to bring the shooting brake version of the Panamera to the the Geneva Motor Show.
If the minivan is the station wagon of the 1990s and beyond, that must mean that a station wagon is the sports car of today. Porsche appears to think so as it’s preparing to introduce a shooting brake version of its Panamera next spring.
The “shooting brake” or as Americans would know it better, the station wagon, is making a bit of a comeback, mostly in high end brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volvo, which introduced new wagons in the last year.
Prior to that, Ferrari with the FF and 2016 GTC4Lusso and Jaguar with the XF Sport Brake have been putting wagons on the road. There’s even a rendering of an Aston Martin model.
Now, according to Bloomberg, the German sports car maker plans to show the wagon version of the four-door Panamera at the Geneva Auto Show in March. It marks the latest bit of segment growth for the brand.
It burst on the sport-utility scene with the Cayenne in 2002. After rolling out several variants, it brought the smaller Macan to market a few years ago.
The latest entry into the growing shooting brake segment appears to be the Porsche Panamera.
(Porsche Panamera pictures leak out ahead. To get a look, Click Here.)
The Panamera wagon, which is based in part on the Sport Turismo from the 2012 Paris Motor Show, would compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. It’s a group of wagons that mix functionality and utility with luxury for those who don’t want a sport-ute or crossover.
It is uncertain if the new wagon will keep the Sport Turismo moniker or go with something else. Porsche declined to comment on the possibility, Bloomberg reported. The new model has been going to through testing to make sure it makes the grade.
(Click Here for a look at the new Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S.)
The move the expand the Panamera is a curious one as the four-door model has not been a favorite with Porsche die-hards, but nevertheless sold more than 150,000 units since its debut in 2009. The sedan tends to sell better in Europe where its roominess is valued. In other markets where SUVs are kinds, such as the U.S. and China, it fares poorly.
Porsche plans to unveil a hybrid version of the Panamera at the Paris Motor Show later this month. The all-wheel-drive model travels 30 miles in electric-only mode, will do 0-to-60 mph in 4.6 seconds and starts at just more than $120,000.
(Click Here to check out the newly updated and renamed Porsche 718 Boxster.)
The addition of the two models isn’t a surprise given the company has invested more than $650 million to consolidate Panamera production at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. It shares a line there with the Macan, the new small ute.