Spied: The Porsche Panamera will continue on with a third generation

The second generation Porsche Panamera has been on the market since 2017, so by Porsche standards it’s getting a bit long in the tooth. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a phenomenal car, but it’s no longer the newest thing in the Porsche showroom, and sales continue to decline as the years go on and the Taycan continues to gain steam. So, it would make sense that it’s time for a new Panamera to bow.

When our spies initially spotted this car, they figured it was likely to be thir face-liftt for the Porsche sedan, similar to the gasoline Macan’s trajectory. After checking it out for a while, however, we’ve all decided that this is far more likely to be a mostly new generation of the car. The Panamera did receive a mildface-liftt in 2021 anyhow, so it’s likely too soon for such a thing again.

The original Panamera’s tenure lasted for six years, and the current model has been on the market for five now. With all of the extensive changes we noted in this prototype car, we suspect the new Panamera will feature at least a few new shapes, including some new headlights, a new rear window opening, fancy door handles, and some other choice changes. Changes also include slimmer taillights, a few fender design, and a different rear hatch treatment. Think of it like the difference between 991 and 992, it’ll be a similar chassis and powertrain design with fresh sheet metal and interior.

As with the rest of the Porsche lineup, the new Panamera appears to be taking on some of the elements pioneered in the Taycan, pushing the Porsche product into the future. It seems pretty likely that the next-generation Panamera will continue with similar powertrains to what is currently in use. It’s likely that Porsche will continue to push the car as a plug-in hybrid, as many Panameras sold last year had a plug. There are currently three different PHEV Panameras, so expect more of that to continue.

Porsche knows that not all of its customers are ready to make the transition to full electric, so it’s hedging its bets with the Panamera continuing as a hybrid. Is it possible that the Panamera could offer an all-electric version? It doesn’t seem likely right now, but being a size up from the Taycan, it could be a good fighter against stuff like Mercedes’ EQS.

We’ll likely see this new Panamera bow later this year for delivery sometime in 2023, so watch this space for more information as it becomes available.

Photo credits: SpiedBilde