Design Study for a Porsche 928 Coupe Concept based on the Panamera

Even before the official presentation of the new Panamera, there had been plenty of talk about a coupe model based on the sports saloon that could serve as a spiritual successor to the much-missed 928 and more importantly, give Porsche a new range-topping GT model to compete head-to-head with the likes of Ferrari's 599 GTB and Aston Martin's DB9.

And while we're still in the dark about Porsche's future plans especially after the VW Group's takeover, a member of the Teamspeed forums decided to use his photoshop skills to make a grand touring coupe model out of the Panamera with styling cues that hark back to the original 928.

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the 'chop as well as on the Panamera Coupe subject in general in the comment section below.

Source: Teamspeed (by forum member Wild-Speed)

New Entry-Level Porsche Panamera with 300HP 3.6-liter V6

Porsche is expanding its sports saloon line-up with the introduction of the entry-level Panamera (RWD) and Panamera 4 (AWD) models that are both powered by a 3.6-liter V6 gasoline engine with direct fuel injection of VW Group origin that is about 30kg or 66 lb lighter than the V8 on the Panamera S/4S models.

The V6 churns out a maximum output of 300 horsepower and 400Nm or 295 lb-ft of peak torque, and is linked to a PDK double-clutch gearbox, which like the Start & Stop system, comes as standard on the Panamera.

We don't know if this tells you something about the entry-level Panamera, but Porsche's release omits performance figures mentioning only fuel consumption and CO2 emissions numbers.

According to the Germans, the rear-wheel drive Panamera makes do with 9.3 lt/100km (equal to 30.4mpg UK or 25.3mpg US), while the all-wheel drive model averages 9.6 lt/100km (29.4mpg UK or 24.5mpg US).

As an option, Porsche offers 19-inch alloy wheels with optimized roll resistance tires that reduce these consumption figures by another 0.2 lt/100 km (+0.5mpg US), giving the Panamera a CO2 rating of 213 g/km and the Panamera 4, 220 g/km.

The Panamera V6 models will have their world premiere at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show in April and go on sale in Europe in May, and other markets including the UK and the U.SA. in June.

In Germany, the Panamera V6 starts at €75,899 (about US$103,275) rising to €84,110 (around US$114,500) for the Panamera 4 V6. UK pricing has been set at £61,461 for the Panamera, and £66,929 for the Panamera 4, while in the US. $74,400 will get you in a RWD model and $78,900 in the AWD version.

Wald International Preparing Kits for New Porsche Panamera, BMW 7-Series, Rolls Royce Ghost, Infiniti M / Fuga and Jaguar XJ

Looks like 2010 will be a busy year for Wald International, the Japanese tuner known for its huge collection of aggressive body kits. Among other projects, Wald International is working on the development of exterior packages for five brand-new luxury sedan models, the 2011 BMW 7-Series, 2011 Infiniti M / Nissan Fuga (JDM), 2011 Jaguar XJ, Porsche Panamera and the new 'baby' Rolls Royce, the Ghost.

Despite the fact that the Japanese tuning firm has only released one teaser shot of each saloon, we can tell that the packages include new bumpers, spoilers, rocker panels, larger alloy wheels and suspension kits.

We'll bring you all the details on Wald International's new tuning proposals as soon the company launches the products.

TechArt Releases New Photos of Spiffed Up Porsche Panamera

Having completed its individualization program for the Porsche Panamera model range, TechArt came out with a new gallery of photos of the German sports saloon. Revealed for the first time at last year's Frankfurt show, TechArt's program bundles an aero kit and a choice of 21- or 22-inch alloys with a bevy of interior upgrades that include several customization options such as two-tone leathers in various shades and decorative trim in numerous colors and materials.