New Porsche Panamera To Get Performance Hybrid Variants

German automaker Porsche will add two performance hybrid variants to its newly unveiled Panamera sedan.

The second generation Porsche Panamera was unveiled in Berlin on June 28th.

Porsche chief executive officer Oliver Blume confirmed the addition of the hybrid duo stating, "In the near future we will have an entry plug-in hybrid model and we will have a top model. That's our strategy."

"For me at this moment, the plug-in versions are the best way to fulfil all the CO2 regulations but also our performance needs," he said. "We have the possibility to put in more power."

This marks a tectonic shift in Porsche's strategy with regards to the usage of hybrid systems in their vehicles.

The Stuttgart-based automaker was earlier known for using hybrid systems to cut down on emissions figures, but the new directional shift could see its use the hybrid systems in a similar way to how they're used in Porsche's hybrid hypercar, the 918 Spyder.

When the 918 Spyder switches to Sport Hybrid mode, the car's electric motors augment the naturally aspirated V8 engine's power to help the 918 put almost 900hp onto the road. This could very well be the case with the Panamera's performance variants as well.

Porsche has ruled out using a petrol hybrid and another diesel hybrid to suit the markets in which the new Panamera will go on sale.

This could mean that Porsche could instead use both the petrol engines it developed along with Audi, the brand new turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 as well as the turbo nutter that is the 4.0-litre V8 engine to act as the main powerplant for the Panamera Hybrid.

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