Thursday 19th July 2012

Porsche toying with shooting brake Panamera

Estate-esque Panamera concept is on the way as carmakers rush to join the sleek wagon bandwagon

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Shooting brakes, Breadvans, fastbacks. Call them what you will, the slinky estate/hatchback/extended coupe seems to be all the rage in the upper echelons of the car market at the moment. Latest to join in the fun are Porsche and McLaren.

According to German mag Auto Bild, Porsche is brewing up a shooting brake of its own a la the newest variant of the Merc CLS and will unveil an estate-ised Panamera concept at the Paris motor show this autumn.

That car will test the water for Porsche, we hear, and the folks at Weissach are also no doubt keeping a very close eye on how the Merc CLS Shooting Brake is being received. If the Paris Porsche concept goes well, and if the CLS sells as well as many people expect, then we'll most likely see a shooting brake version of the Panamera to be spun off the next generation car that's due to arrive in 2015.

Over at McLaren, meanwhile, there are whiffs of a rumour that the Woking supercar company is looking to take on the Ferrari FF. Though whether Auto Bild reckons it'll be a 2+2 coupe or a more faithful following of the breadvan/hatchback FF look is entirely unclear.

And, stretching the shooting brake concept to its absolute limit, the Auto Bild boys remind us that a CLS Shooting-Brake-in-miniature is on the way. Though we'd probably just call that a five-door hatch...

[MiseryStreak]

the article said:

Over at McLaren, meanwhile, there are whiffs of a rumour that the Woking supercar company is looking to take on the Ferrari FF. Though whether Auto Bild reckons it'll be a 2+2 coupe or a more faithful following of the breadvan/hatchback FF look is entirely unclear.

Are you sure? I just read an interview with Ron Dennis where he stated they will never produce a non mid-engined car. How will that work with a shooting brake concept?

Oh yeah, the Porsche, an even more clumsy, fat and hideous Porsche, excellent.

[kambites]

I always thought the Panamera could be a respectable looking car as an estate.

[TNH]

MiseryStreak said:

Are you sure? I just read an interview with Ron Dennis where he stated they will never produce a non mid-engined car. How will that work with a shooting brake concept?

Oh yeah, the Porsche, an even more clumsy, fat and hideous Porsche, excellent.

Think mid engined Z3 / Z4 breadvan type thing?!

[garypotter]

MiseryStreak said:

Oh yeah, the Porsche, an even more clumsy, fat and hideous Porsche, excellent.

Thought I was the only one that dislikes the panhandle.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

kambites said:

I always thought the Panamera could be a respectable looking car as an estate.

I always thought it didn't look too far away from an estate anyway?

[kambites]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

kambites said:

I always thought the Panamera could be a respectable looking car as an estate.

I always thought it didn't look too far away from an estate anyway?

Maybe an estate whose back-end has been left in the sun too long... it'd look far better with a proper squared off estate type back.

[wile7]

It has been done before and I think the 944 estate is drop dead gorgeous.....

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/16/ebay-find-of-th...

[dingocooke]

I don't get the Porsche Pan thing at all either; fugly as you like; and now they want to make an estate car...go figure...I wonder when the Porsche pick up truck will be anounced???
I guess what Porsche et al are trying to do is open up a market sector (wife, three kids and a dog) that can't be served by a normal sportscar????

[456GT]

kambites said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

kambites said:

I always thought the Panamera could be a respectable looking car as an estate.

I always thought it didn't look too far away from an estate anyway?

Maybe an estate whose back-end has been left in the sun too long... it'd look far better with a proper squared off estate type back.

An estate version can only improve the Panamera range, IMO.

[Alfa numeric]

MiseryStreak said:

the article said:

Over at McLaren, meanwhile, there are whiffs of a rumour that the Woking supercar company is looking to take on the Ferrari FF. Though whether Auto Bild reckons it'll be a 2+2 coupe or a more faithful following of the breadvan/hatchback FF look is entirely unclear.

Are you sure? I just read an interview with Ron Dennis where he stated they will never produce a non mid-engined car. How will that work with a shooting brake concept?

I'm sure I read that the FF wasn't selling as well as expected either. Surely McLaren should be gunning for the F12?

[anonymous-user]

dingocooke said:

I don't get the Porsche Pan thing at all either; fugly as you like; and now they want to make an estate car...go figure...I wonder when the Porsche pick up truck will be anounced???
I guess what Porsche et al are trying to do is open up a market sector (wife, three kids and a dog) that can't be served by a normal sportscar????

I think the Panamera has been a bit of a sales flop for them to be honest.

[kambites]

St John Smythe said:

I think the Panamera has been a bit of a sales flop for them to be honest.

There's quite a few around here; I'm say more than 911s of the same age but less than Cayennes.

[anonymous-user]

kambites said:

St John Smythe said:

I think the Panamera has been a bit of a sales flop for them to be honest.

There's quite a few around here; I'm say more than 911s of the same age but less than Cayennes.

Not sure where you're based but I work in London and live in Hertfordshire. Not many about at all.

[Alfa numeric]

St John Smythe said:

I think the Panamera has been a bit of a sales flop for them to be honest.

I'm sure I read in EVO that it's Porche's second best selling model, behind the Cayenne (depressingly...).

[kambites]

St John Smythe said:

Not sure where you're based but I work in London and live in Hertfordshire. Not many about at all.

The suburbs of Hampshire.

[Oddball RS]

All after me (ESTATE!).................. FFS it's 'Shooting brake' this 'Shooting Brake' that, every week, what is this 1937?

[kambites]

Alfa numeric said:

I'm sure I read in EVO that it's Porche's second best selling model, behind the Cayenne (depressingly...).

I'd be quite surprised if it out-sells the Boxster, at least in the UK.

[anonymous-user]

kambites said:

Alfa numeric said:

I'm sure I read in EVO that it's Porche's second best selling model, behind the Cayenne (depressingly...).

I'd be quite surprised if it out-sells the Boxster, at least in the UK.

...and the 911. Just think how often you see one vs the Panamera.

[Alfa numeric]

St John Smythe said:

kambites said:

Alfa numeric said:

I'm sure I read in EVO that it's Porche's second best selling model, behind the Cayenne (depressingly...).

I'd be quite surprised if it out-sells the Boxster, at least in the UK.

...and the 911. Just think how often you see one vs the Panamera.

They're probably all in China.

[kambites]

St John Smythe said:

...and the 911. Just think how often you see one vs the Panamera.

I definitely see more Panameras than 911s made since the Panamera was released. But massively more Boxsters than either.