Car Moon

Porsche deliveries have increased substantially last month, with the German luxury carmaker selling 10,667 vehicles, up 29.5% compared to June 2010. Porsche's first half of the year sales also increased by 36.8% compared to the same period in 2010, with a total of 60,659 units sold from January throughout June. Read more »

Say what you want about the Panamera, but fact is the sports saloon model has proved to be a hit for Porsche with the company having delivered close to 10,000 units in the first five months of the year alone.

The Panamera’s success has of course caught the attention of the aftermarket industry with more and more companies jumping on the tuning bandwagon. This here proposal comes courtesy of Afzal Kahn and his crew.

European Porsche shoppers will soon have the option of ordering a diesel-powered version of the Panamera sports saloon. The most fuel-efficient model of the Panamera range is equipped with a Porsche-tuned version of the VW Group’s widely used 3.0-liter V6 TDI employing common rail direct injection technology and electrically controlled variable geometry turbochargers (VGTs).

The six-cylinder unit produces a maximum output of 250HP (184 kW) between 3,800 rpm and 4,400 rpm and a peak torque of 550Nm (405.7 lb-ft) available from 1,750 rpm to 2,750 rpm. The V6 is hooked up to an eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission while a start/stop system comes as standard. The Panamera Diesel is offered exclusively with rear-wheel drive.

The Porsche Panamera continues to draw attention from Europe’s aftermarket tuners, only this time, Schmidt Revolution’s proposal for the sports saloon is far more subtle than what we’re used to.

The German tuner starts with a standard Panamera 4S, which leaves Porsche’s factory with a 4.8-liter V8 engine churning out 400-horses and 500Nm of peak torque. The performance modifications, courtesy of Rennsport, include a software optimization (€990 or about US$1,443) that increase output to 425HP and 535Nm, along with a suspension module (€390 or around US$568) that lower’s the ride height by 40mm and sport exhaust system (€590 or about US$860).

Less than a year after the market launch of the second iteration of the Cayenne, Porsche has introduced a revised version of the SUV’s diesel engine while also improving and adding new options to the rest of the range. Beginning with the Cayenne Diesel, the 3.0-liter V6 oil-burner has been reworked by Porsche engineers and features a new turbocharger with improved response and greater efficiency, increased direct injection pressure to 2000 bar and a lighter crankshaft.

For 30 years now, German-based tuning house Gemballa has been taking the latest Porsche models and transforming them into custom machines with wild outputs. Despite the recent loss of the firm’s founder, Uwe Gemballa, the company continues to roll new creations. At this week’s 2011 Top Marques Monaco Show (April 14-17), Gemballa is showing off two newcomers, the Porsche Cayenne II based Tornado and the Panamera sedan-based Mistrale.

Both the Tornado and the Mistrale feature a heavily customized body with unique front and rear ends, and an array of bespoke aero parts. According to the German tuning house, the new components not only change the appearance of the two Porsche models, but also help reduce weight.

Porsche is out to prove that luxury sports saloons can offer exceptional fuel economy and low emissions without losing on performance with its new Panamera S Hybrid model, the first details of which were released earlier today. Shortly after the presentation Porsche also published a short video of the hybrid model in motion, which you can check out after the jump.

Just as we suspected when Porsche first announced its plans to present a brand new hybrid model at the Geneva Salon, the German firm's 'surprise' is indeed the Panamera S Hybrid. According to the automaker, the new 380HP hybrid GT is the most economical Porsche of all time with a combined fuel economy of 6.8 lt/100km or 34.6 mpg US, and also boasts the lowest CO2 output of any large sports sedan in the luxury segment with 159 g/km (both figures achieved with the optional low resistance tires).

The latest addition to the Panamera family makes use of the same powertrain found on the Cayenne hybrid mating a 333HP 3.0-liter supercharged V6 sourced from Audi to a 47 hp (34 kW) electric motor for a combined output of 380HP. Both motors are capable of powering the Panamera S Hybrid either alone or in combination, while the electric motor also operates both as a generator and a starter.

Porsche purists have never been too fond of the Cayenne and Panamera, but customers less interested in heritage and pedigree have bought plenty of them. In fact, both models have significantly boosted the automaker’s 2010 sales, so not only are the Germans going keep them in their lineup, but will also continue to pump out new versions, at least according to the latest rumors. Citing inside sources, Autoweek reported today that Porsche is now considering a...long-wheelbase version of the Panamera, which could go on sale in the United States and China as early as 2012. Read more »

Porsche is continuing its foray into the eco-friendly segment with a new full parallel hybrid vehicle that’s headed for the Geneva show, according to a statement released today. However, the Germans are keeping specific details hush-hush, only stating that the new model is set to build on the success of the Cayenne S Hybrid and “signals a new chapter” in the brand’s “Porsche Intelligent Performance” philosophy.

Another day, another tuning proposal for Porsche's Panamera sports saloon which is proving to be particularly popular with the aftermarket industry. This one comes from Anderson Germany which has just finished tidying up the details on its latest project based on the non-turbo Panamera 4S.

Seen for the first time at the Auto Zurich Car Show last December, Techart's GrandGT styling program for the Porsche Panamera is now available for sale. The tuner's box of goodies include a full carbon fiber body kit complemented by beefier alloy wheels, and a variety of cockpit modifications.

[Updated gallery] The Tokyo Auto Salon is always a blast featuring all sorts of unique tuning proposals, like this here Porsche wannabe. When our Tokyo show man Phil e-mailed the above photo, we assumed it pictured a Porsche -possibly a Boxster- modified to resemble a Panamera Convertible. We were quickly proven wrong, however, when he sent over an image of the interior and some video footage revealing that the Porsche Panamera tune was actually a...masqueraded Nissan 350Z Roadster. More photos after the jump.

Porsche officials are exploring the possibility of adding diesel variants to the company's North American lineup to help meet the growing demand for fuel-efficient cars. On sale in Europe since early 2009, the Cayenne diesel could be one contender for the job and may be followed by the Panamera with a diesel engine and a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain.

“We are discussing internally if we should introduce the Cayenne diesel in the U.S. this year. Also a Panamera diesel is an option”, said the brand's sales and marketing chief, Bernhard Maier.

We can think of quite a few reasons why Edo Competition chose to name its latest creation after the imaginary white whale in Herman Melville's classic 1851 novel, Moby Dick, but we'll let you, our readers, humor us with your answers in the comments section after the break. Back to the German Tuner's Moby Dick on wheels, the white Panamera benefits from a hefty power boost as well as modifications to the exterior and interior.

Even in this harsh economical climate, Porsche sales continue to grow, as the German maker shifted 21,218 units in the first three months of the 2010 short fiscal year (August 1 – December 31). That's an impressive 86.4% growth compared to the same period last year, although Porsche management admits that the prior-year quarter was "relatively weak", so a higher growth rate was expected.

Joining the world premiere of the 2011 Cayenne-based Magnum at next month's Auto Zurich Car Show in Switzerland, will be yet another new tuning proposal from Porsche specialist TechArt, this time based on the Panamera sports saloon. Dubbed the GrandGT, the tuning firm's new customization program revamps the Panamera Turbo's exterior and interior styling, and performance.

Say what you want about the new Panamera, but the premium sports saloon is selling like beer at Oktoberfest. Within the first year of production, Porsche sold 22, 518 copies of the Panamera sports saloon globally, with 2,530 vehicles in Germany alone. While the Stuttgart-based automaker did not break down country-specific sales numbers, oddly enough, it released some data on city-specific sales.

With some 23,000 sales in the first year of production, the new Panamera is proving to be a major asset for Porsche in difficult times. Now, Stuttgart is looking to further enhance the appeal of its sports sedan with the introduction of new optional packages for the individualization programme including a Powerkit for the Turbo model, a Sport Design Package and new alloy wheels.

Available on the Panamera Turbo, the Powerkit package adds a recalibrated ECU and two new turbochargers with titanium-alloy turbine wheels. As a result, the V8 engine's output is lifted from 500HP to 540HP and torque from 700Nm to 750Nm (533 lb-ft). When combined with the Sport Chrono package, torque increases in the over-boost mode to 800Nm (590 lb-ft).

Few would call the new Porsche Panamera Turbo a slouch in the horsepower department, but if you happen to be one them, you may want to take a look at the new performance enhancement program from APS, the UK importer of the Swiss tuning firm Sportec.

Buyers can start off with the Stage One conversion that uses a reprogrammed ECU with optimized settings for fueling, ignition and turbo boost parameters to bump the V8's output from a quoted 493bhp and 516 lb-ft, to a dyno proven 560bhp at 6,150 rpm and 576 lb-ft (790 Nm) of torque at 3,340 rpm.