Porsche May Expand Hybrid Panamera Lineup

Is a V8 Hybrid Performance Model the Next Panamera?

The Porsche Panamera was not always a loved car. Purists cried in horror as Porsche claimed the car would be derived from a 911, both in terms of looks and performance. Did that happen the first go around? No, not really. The Panamera was painfully ugly but still sold in big numbers, which is why we are here today telling you of yet another possible offshoot within the Panamera namesake — a new, performance-oriented, hybrid-electrified version.

Now, the good news is that the latest version of the Panamera is a particularly good-looking car (finally). And from the now better-looking foundation, they can concoct many different models, as they do with pretty much all of their cars. But why another hybrid? And specifically, why a more powerful, performance-minded hybrid; isn’t that counter-intuitive? Perhaps not.

According to an article cited by Digital Trends, Porsche engineers know that the easiest way to create a performance hybrid is to add power to the engine. This is because expanding the electric motor and/or battery capacity is quite a venture, and will require far more cooling. So, the best thing to do is add power to the combustion engine. The current hybrid Panamera, the 4 E, uses a 2.9-liter V6 and is good for 462 total horsepower, with 330 of them coming from the engine alone.

The new potential Panamera could possibly use a turbo V8, adding a little more power to the efficiency balance. Some reports have even suggested that the car could wear a Turbo name on the back, something reserved for non-hybrid Porsches at the moment. Regardless, the premise of a V8 hybrid performance car is extremely exciting, even if it is in Panamera form. Porsche recognizes that hybrid power is the way of today and tomorrow with performance vehicles, making the near future a rousing prospect. Expect to hear more about the not-confirmed-but-likely-V8 hybrid Panamera “sooner rather than later,” according to Porsche.