Porsche laissent tomber le mic.
Porsche Panamera Wagon 'leaked' renderings [autoblog]
and at Jalopnik [jalopnik]
And actual photos from the Paris Auto Show: "This Panamera wagon probably isn't just a concept." [caranddriver.com, all via everyone who's seen the car, about one second after they've seen it, because, holy smokes]
Oh HOLY CRAP so THAT's what the Panamera was always supposed to be.
Good looking car. Just wish the rear window was more vertical with a smaller D-pillar. Severe forward angle seems a waste of space.
It looks great. But I'm with Gerhard. If they're not going to make this a full wagon, why bother? I doubt they move forward with this. The Panamera already has a degree of utility with its hatch. Yet this is more of a Panamera with a bigger hatch than it is a real wagon. If they went with a real honest-to-goodness wagon they would risk taking a few more dings to their reputation like they did with the Cayenne and Panamera. Those gambles were worth it because the sales numbers on those cars are relatively huge. A boxy wagon would not be the same sales success. So I get why they're floating this half-step out there. It's just not going to be worth the effort because this car doesn't do much more than the Panamera already does
I suspect that it's more hatchback shaped than traditional wagon shaped for aerodynamics.
Tapered rear ends reduce drag. This is a bit more extreme, but still in line with the more tapered and less vertical rear ends of the CLSSB, CTS, etc.
No doubt the sloping glass and hatch make the car better aerodynamically and better looking. I just don't think it adds the utility associated with wagons that tend to have a less pleasing, more squared rear end.
Looking at the current Panamera in profile, I wonder how many more cubes that this concept would fit out back: http://img2.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/844/media/images/2011_Porsche_Panamera_.png It might not offer any more volume. But, it actually does look better. The added glass in the cargo area definitely fixes the worst part of the current Panamera.
@seth--I'm leaning the other way. This is way too polished and close to production form to be just a concept. The majority of the car looks like a Panamera facelift, which the car is about due for, anyway, so I suspect we'll see most of this car at the dealers soon.
But my big on-a-limb suggestion is that this isn't the Panamera wagon; it's just the new Panamera. I agree that there isn't a whole lot of daylight between this car and the current hatch, so my guess is that the current hatch is going to be replaced with this.
@jt-- I think I'm with you. The car looks great. The reaction (after one day) is universally positive. As with my comment above, I also agree that this car isn't too distinct from the Panamera so maybe it is the upcoming Panamera. By splitting the c pillar and adding those windows they've greatly improved the look of the Panamera to the point where I don't see why anyone would buy the other if they were sold side-by-side. This change would knock the A7 off its perch as the best looking expensive large luxury 5 door.
Looks good. However, anything is an improvement on the existing Panamera styling.