Just two months after the unveiling of the 4S, 4S Diesel and Turbo, the German auto maker has now unveiled the 4 E-Hybrid – the fourth and most technically advanced of the new 2017 Panamera models to date.
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It all adds up to a more impressive hybrid Panamera, with a powertrain using the same hybrid strategy as the 918 Spyder, delivering electric power from the off and impressive performance of 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 173mph.
It borrows its hybrid tech from one of the fastest and most advanced all-wheel drive cars on the planet – the 877PS 918 Spyder. Now the luxury sedan family will get a fourth model, the 2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, to succeed the outgoing Panamera S E-Hybrid. Total output checks in at 462 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, enough to send the Panamera from zero to 62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 172 miles per hour.
The new Panamera 4 E-Hybrid will be available in Europe starting in April 2017, and should arrive in North America soon thereafter.
It takes a well-trained eye to tell the E-Hybrid apart from other Panamera variants at a glance.
The second generation of the Porsche Panamera hybrid will bow in at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The Panamera 4 E uses a 2.9-litre turbocharged V6 that produces 330PS as well as a 136PS electric motor.
In this model the second-generation Panamera’s instrument panel, with touch-sensitive panels and individually configurable displays, features a hybrid-specific power meter, similar to the one in the 918 Spyder, displaying the amount of electrical energy now being used and how much is being recovered by recuperation. Porsche says the new battery can be charged in 12 hours from a standard household plug, three hours with an available upgraded onboard charger and a 240-volt, 40-amp plug.
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Meanwhile, Porsche also stated the new Panamera Hybrid is significantly different than the version it replaces. Providing extra oomph is an electric motor which generates an additional 136 PS and 400 Nm. And yet this Panamera too is a sports auto among the luxury sedans: The all-wheel Porsche achieves a top speed of 278 km/h and delivers instantaneous system torque of 516 lb-ft from a standstill. The earlier Panamera S E-Hybrid, on the other hand, used an eight-speed torque converter equipped automatic gearbox. Pricing will be announced later, Porsche said.
