Porsche Panamera Wagon Release Date Could Debut in 2017

Sep 14, 2016 01:42 PM EDT

Whenever you mention the name Porsche, many people would think of super fast sports cars that zip around the asphalt, tackling corners at incredible G-speeds without missing a beat. Of course, the classic Porsche 911 is a mainstay over the years, but the German automaker have done far more than just rest on their laurels. In fact, they have strayed beyond the exotic sports car market by entering the SUV fray with the Porsche Cayenne all those years back, and now, we might even have a station wagon version of the ultra luxurious Porsche Panamera. There are indications that point to the Porsche Panamera wagon version rolling out next year.

The second generation Porsche Panamera did make its bow this summer, and it looks like it will not be too long before that ride will be accompanied by a wagon version in 2017. So far, anonymous sources over at Porsche did make mention that the wagon version of the Porsche Panamera will most probably be shown off at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show.

Certainly having a vehicle shown off at the Geneva Auto Show is a big deal, but more often than not, this does not mean that the vehicle is ready in that very instant to roll off production lines and into the garages of the masses -- particularly the rich and famous in this case. It would be far more suitable for the Porsche Panamera wagon to enter the market in 2018, in order to consummate its reveal one year earlier.

Not only that, a Porsche Panamera prototype that sports a lengthened roof has been spotted at the Nurburgring as it was sent through its testing phases. This is yet another very obvious indicator that the folks over at Porsche are currently developing such a model that could jolly well be very near production-ready status. Another green light signal came from Porsche's North American CEO, Detlev von Platen, who did confirm that the US will be on the receiving end of a Porsche Panamera wagon should the day arrive where production of the model is achieved.

In the event that the Porsche Panamera enters production, it would more or less be ushered in as the king of the hill for a vehicle in its class. There should be nearly no equal or competition, since hunting down a rear-drive, midsize luxury wagon in the US would be a pretty tough ask. The closest would most probably be the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon, and the existing E400 is not going to turn that many heads, whereas should an AMG E63 model be made official in due time, that could spice things up quite a bit.

The existing standard Porsche Panamera comes with a 440-horsepower V6 underneath the hood, and if you were to take the hybrid model into equation, that would mean the addition of another 22 ponies, while the V8 engine would come with a whopping 550-horsepower engine. Needless to say, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, so it is easy to speculate that all of these engine options will be made available on the Porsche Panamera wagon when it arrives.

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