Porsche Panamera c 2017

When Porsche’s head of research and development, Wolfgang Hatz, had dropped the biggest hint in late 2014 that the second-generation Panamera will be offered in a Shooting Brake body style, as shown by the 2012 Sport Turismo concept, he was talking about the very car our spies managed to get another set of shots of at the German Nürburgring today. The new estate will be built alongside the standard four-door saloon. And that’s not all, coupe and cabriolet versions are also under consideration, though less likely. “What we have designed is an entirely new Panamera with a new platform,” Hatz explained. “We have prepared it for a lot of derivatives, personally I like very much the Sport Turismo, I love this car. But there is a good chance for more derivatives.” This more practical Panamera Shooting Brake (name to be confirmed) will go up against the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, and broaden the appeal of Porsche’s non-SUV range to family buyers. Like the outgoing model, the upcoming iteration of Zuffenhausen's four-door sedan and estate is expected to carry a wide array of powertrain options, including gasoline engines, diesels, turbos, and hybrids. One way or another, buyers can expect improvements in both performance and efficiency once the sedan comes around sometime this year and the estate in 2017.