Porsche Panamera proves popular
04 August 2005
- Whatcar.com readers favour four-door Porsche
- 94% vote for Panamera project
- Only 7% believe it could harm the Porsche brand
Porsche will be pleased with the results of a Whatcar.com poll on its new four-door Panamera project.
Like the 4x4 Cayenne, the front-engined four-seat Panamera represents a big shift away from the traditional Porsche sports car, so Whatcar.com asked its readers if the new car would harm or enhance the Porsche brand.
A huge 94% of responses were in favour of the car, and just 6% of readers believed it would damage the manufacturer's image.
Reader Oliver Collings said: 'Porsche has often been criticised for making cars which don't fit the company's ethos. Many said the Boxster was underpowered or that the Cayenne was not a true high-performance car.
'Both of these models have gone on to become big sellers and loved by many enthusiasts around the world. If Porsche manages to make the Panamera fast and luxurious, I can't see why it couldn't steal the thunder from such cars as the Bentley GT and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.'
Rawdon James said: 'Ferrari made a success of the 456GT and the 550 Maranello, and the new Scaglietti is a fantastic piece of engineering.
'Why shouldn't Porsche try to emulate that success? People with families can still aspire to owning a sports car, and a Porsche is likely to be more affordable than the Ferrari.'
Peter Hamlin isn't so sure, however. He said: 'Along with the Boxster and Cayenne, the Panamera and Cayman will create the biggest Porsche range ever seen.
'In the past the company has only had a handful of cars, allowing it to concentrate on making superb driving machines. Can it really pull off the same trick with so many models?'
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