Porsche has introduced a four-door, V-6 engine, long-wheelbase Executive Panamera that on paper seems to fit into the “Executive Vehicle” class. By adding 5.9 inches to the wheelbase, the rear leg room will easily reach the level of the BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-class. The interior dimensions are not yet known so there could be problems with rear head and shoulder room.
Executive Panamera has many of the creature comforts required for an executive vehicle; such as a large panoramic roof, heated front and rear comfort seats with multi-way adjustment, and an adaptive air suspension. Rear steering and soft-close doors come standard. A large rear center console and Porsche Rear Seat Entertainment system with 10.1-inch screens are optional.
Of course, the performance numbers are impressive, from a stop the Executive Turbo will reach 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. The vehicle handles at .96 G’s and brakes at close to 1 G
Porsche feels that chauffeur driven executives are the Executive Panamera market, and they believe that market is in the US and China, they may be correct, but it all depends on Porsche’s definition of “a market.”
Our (ISDA) experience and our surveys indicate that it will be a hard sell.