This has been an incredible year at the Shanghai Motor Show, and Porsche has made the spotlight with the debut of its 2014 Porshe Panamera S E-Hybrid, the new plug-in hybrid offering from the German automaker.
If the Panamera S E-Hybrid wasn’t enough for a Porsche enthusiast, the company also revealed two luxurious Executive versions — the Panamera 4S and Panamera Turbo — that feature an extended wheelbase and a completely new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine.
There was a bit of significance in revealing the Panamera line up in Shanghai. China has become the second-largest Porsche market in the world, behind the United States. Matthias Müller, president and CEO of Porsche AG says:
The Porsche Panamera and China – that is a very special success story. Exactly four years ago, we introduced the first Panamera to a world audience here in Shanghai – and very intentionally here. Because it was clear to us that our Gran Turismo would be precisely the right model for this future market. And we were not mistaken. In 2012, one out of three Panamera cars were delivered to China.
The 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid is a big improvement from Porsche’s previous Panamera S Hybrid version. The new Panamera S E-Hybrid features a more powerful electric motor that is almost double the horsepower, increasing from 47 horsepower to 95 horsepower.
One of the other improvements is in the battery performance, the new lithium-ion battery supplies more energy and is able to recharge from home or public vehicle charging stations. The older batteries had a capacity of 1.7 kilowatt-hours, while the new ones have been increased to a capacity of 9.4 kilowatt-hour.
With the assistance of integrated on-board charging components and the standard Porsche Universal Charger (AC), the battery can reach full charge within approximately two and a half hours when connected to a 240V power source.
Under the hood the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid delivers 416 horsepower with 435 pound-feet of torque. The Panamera is capable of accelerating from a standstill to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on its way to a top track speed of 167 mph.
The suggested MSRP is $99,000 for the new Panamera S E-Hybrid. We should start seeing the Panamera hit US and Canadian markets sometime this fall.