The Paris Motor Show is just hours away and we are starting to get things all ramped up. Porsche->ke1 announced that it will be unveiling an all-new production concept when the show opens up, only to shoot out the official details a couple of hours later. This new concept is dubbed the Panamera->ke1840 Sport Turismo Concept and is slated to compete directly with the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake.

The concept is supposed to preview a possible Porsche sports car of tomorrow, which would mean that they are not letting go of the idea that spawned the Cayenne and the Panamera: Parents need speed too.

Rumor has it that this model will debut at some point in the 2013 model year, so the concept model that we see here will most likely be almost identical to its production model.

Update 12/11/12: Porsche has released a sweet video outlining the development of the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept and how it came to life. You can see the video after the jump.

Click past the jump to have a look at the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept.

2012 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept
  • Engine/Motor: V6
  • Horsepower: 428
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Staying true to the “shooting brake” design, this Panamera Sport Turismo Concept boasts a more pronounced hatchback than the standard Panamera with shorter overhangs and a large bootlid. Lighting the way for this concept are four-point LED headlights and direction indicators and sidelights that are integrated in C-shaped lighting units called C-Blades. These lights are mounted in the large air inlets at the front end. The front end is pretty much a standard Panamera, but the lower portion of the fascia is slightly more stylish and features larger louvers on the air intakes than your standard Panamera.

The side of the Sport Turismo Concept is void of conventional side mirrors, replacing them with two cameras mounted in the side air outlets. We're not sure how this could ever be legal, but it looks cool for the concept anyway. these cameras send their images to a display in the cockpit.

The taillights are much thinner than the standard Panamera and are connected by a taillight panel with the obligatory “PORSCHE” written across it. The brake light is positioned between the four-point LED rear lights. Topping off the re-modeled rear end of the Panamera is an adaptive carbon rear spoiler that produces improved downforce.

The exterior of the Porsche Concept is painted in a new Liquid Metal Blue that is then complimented by bi-color, dual spoke wheels with Acid Green brake calipers.

Illustrating the unique characteristics of the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Concept are “e-hybrid” badges on the sides and a “Sport Turismo” badge at the rear.

Interior

The burgundy and silver interior in the concept images is stunning, but we take it as just that, a “concept.” Porsche has described the concept's interior as "a forward-looking interpretation of purist sports car thinking: as little as possible and as much as necessary." Average instruments are replaced with a large central TFT color display positioned in front of the driver. This display serves the purpose of providing any and all information necessary for the driver, including information on the tachometer, driving data, navigation, and the layout of the hybrid drive system. There is also an Acid Green power meter on the instrument panel for tracking purposes and and an additional display that shows the combined system power of the two drives.

On either side of this display is a monitor that shows the images from the cameras mounted to the side of the Porsche. Two additional tube displays relay information on the hybrid-specific driving states, e.g. pure electric driving, as well as other functions.

The three-spoke steering wheel, rimmed in burgundy leather, is clean and only has a handful of buttons on it.

The center console continues with the advancement of technology with a touch-sensitive color display that actually starts up the e-hybrid with a simple touch. This interactive center console is where the e-hybrid is controlled, providing multi-touch functionality for the automatic climate control, seat adjustment, lights, reversing camera, and the functions of Porsche Communication Management (PCM). This display also offers thr driver the option of operating the hybrid with the use of smart keys to choose maximum driving fun, maximum performance, or maximum efficiency.

Porsche has also taken advantage of technology already seen on electric vehicles such as the Ford Focus Electric and Chevrolet Volt. This technology allows the driver to monitor the vehicle's information through the use of an app on their smartphone, including the amount of power left in its batteries. It also provides an estimated charge time for the vehicle to reach full power. New for this type of application is the ability to control the interior, like turning on the air conditioning before ever getting into the car, useful for those hot and muggy days.

Engine and Drivetrain

Under the hood is a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that Porsche states will complete the next development step towards the plug-in hybrid. This hybrid is said to be an advanced development of the setup found in the current Panamera S Hybrid and Cayenne S Hybrid. It consists of a lithium-ion battery that has 9.4 Kilowatt-hours of energy storage capacity, and enables faster acceleration, longer electric driving range, and higher speeds when driving without the internal combustion engine. It is good for about 70 kW (95 hp), which is around twice as much as in today’s Porsche hybrid drive, and is joined by the 245 kW (333 hp) supercharged three liter V6 engine. Together, this team gets 428 hp (306 kW) and allows the concept to go from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than six seconds. It can be driven in pure electric mode (which is the default setting) up to a speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) and can cover distances of over 30 km (18 miles). When wanting to drive with the gasoline engine's assistance, all the driver has to do is press a special button on the steering wheel. The Sport Turismo Concept gets a combined fuel consumption of less than 3.5 liter per 100 km, while CO2 emissions are under 82 g/km.

When driving in hybrid mode, the driver can choose to enable the e-charge mode by pressing another button on the steering wheel. These buttons facilitate the need to go back and forth from hybrid and all-electric modes, depending on the routes taken. In the e-charge mode, the internal combustion engine charges the battery by load point shifting, while satisfying rational energy management criteria.

The fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery, located under the electrochromatic glass boot floor, can also be charged with the use of a household electrical outlet. Full charge takes about 2.5 hours to attain using a universal charger (AC) that is wall-mounted in a home garage and has a standardized charging plug.

This drivetrain would put the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept right between the CLS 350 and CLS 500 Shooting Brake models. There is no mention of any other drivetrain, but this may end up becoming a body style that is available with every Panamera drivetrain set up.

Drive system

Parallel full hybrid; 3-litre V6 engine, charged; hybrid module with electric motor and disengagement clutch; rear-wheel drive

Power

245 kW (333 hp) V6 engine approx. 70 kW (95 hp) hybrid module 306 kW (416 hp) (combined peak power)

Suspension

Double wishbone front suspension; electro-mechanical power steering; multi-link rear suspension

Dimensions

Length 4,950 mm Width 1,990 mm Height 1,401 mm

Energy supply

Lithium-ion battery with 9.4 kWh capacity and plug-in charging system compatible with electrical power grid

Performance

Top speed, pure electric mode approx. 130 km/h

Acceleration

0 – 100 km/h < 6.0 s

Consumption (NEDC)

Combined < 3.5 l/100 km

CO2 emissions

Combined < 82 g/km

Range (NEDC)

Pure electric mode: > 30 km

Charging time

up to 2.5 h


Competition

The only real competitor, as we alluded to, is the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. The CLS Shooting brake will be released in four levels: CLS 250, CLS 350 CDI, CLS 350, and CLS 500. Only the CLS 350 and CLS 500 will be in the same realm as the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, as they boast a 306-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 and a 408 horsepower, 4.7-liter V-8, respectively.

From the concept images alone, the Porsche simply looks sexier, as the Panamera’s body just looks right in shooting brake garb. The CLS, on the other hand, we are still getting used to. It looks a little too station wagon-like for us. Where the CLS Shooting brake will definitely take over supremacy is in model selection and pricing, as it’ll likely have more engines to choose from and its $78,000 base price is likely far less than what the Panamera Sport Turismo’s base price will be.

Conclusion

We are just waiting for Porsche to open up the floodgates of information, then we will pass it onto you. Stay tuned! We’ll get you our final decision once we get all of the official details.