Porsche expands “green” Panamera range with two new hybrids

Although unveiled last year, Porsche has already made a significant change to the new Panamera line-up in the shape of two new additions, the 4 E-Hybrid and the 4S E-Hybrid.

Same battery, more shock

Joining the existing unbadged Panamera, the conventional four-wheel-drive Panamera 4 and the flagship Turbo E-Hybrid, the latest arrivals will, reportedly, be joined by a third at a later stage when the Turbo S E-Hybrid returns as range-topper above the normal E-Hybrid.

Arriving in Europe in the second quarter of this year, the all-paw gripping E-Hybrid takes-up station above the Panamera 4 by combining the Volkswagen Group’s 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 with a 25.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack powering an electric motor capable of producing 140kW/450Nm.

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The latter being integrated into the eight-speed PDK transmission, the total system output amounts to 346kW/650Nm, which translates to a top speed of 280 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and a claimed all-electric range of 96 km.

Being a plug-in hybrid, the E-Hybrid doesn’t support fast DC charging, but can be charged in two hours and 39 minutes using the on-board 11 kW AC outlet.

Upping the ante, the 4S E-Hybrid derives motivation from the same powerplant and battery pack, but with an uptake in grunt for the V6 from 224 kW to 260 kW.

Combined with the electric hardware, outputs increase to 400kW/750Nm, enough for a top speed of 290 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and an electric-only range of 92 km.

Spec

On the specification side, both the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and 4S E-Hybrid come standard with Matrix LED headlights, the Porsche Active Suspension Management with twin-valve dampers, the hybrid optimised drive mode selector with four settings; E-Hybrid, E-Power, E-Hold and E-Charge, a wireless smartphone charger, the 12.3-inch Porsche Communication Management touchscreen infotainment system and the 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster.

Setting themselves apart from each other though, the 4 E-Hybrid boasts 19-inch alloy wheels and brake brake calipers, whereas the 4S E-Hybrid sports 20-inch wheels, silver exhaust outlets and red calipers.

Available as option on both is the Acid Green coated calipers, with the 4S E-Hybrid also being privy to the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and 21-inch wheels as cost extras.

Not yet for South Africa

Still to be confirmed for South Africa, pricing for the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and 4S E-Hybrid remains unknown, though based on the current line-up, expect a price tag of around the R2.5-million mark for the former and close to R3-million or R3.5-million for the latter.

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