Currently reading: Porsche plans Panamera diesel
3.0-litre unit from Audi A6 and VW Touareg is lined up for Porsche's performance saloon

Porsche is planning a diesel-engined version of its new Panamera that will use existing Volkswagen Group engines, according to highly placed sources within the company.

The firm will use a similar strategy to that applied to the diesel Cayenne, which is fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel also used by Audi and Volkswagen in cars such as the A6 and Touareg.

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When asked about the possibility of a Panamera diesel, a senior Porsche executive said, “There are V6 and V8 diesels within the VW Group that could be used as a basis.” That points to the same 240bhp 3.0-litre V6 from the Cayenne, or even the 322bhp 4.2-litre V8 diesel from the Audi A8.

Porsche would almost certainly tune any VW diesel for its own use, reworking the power delivery for punchier acceleration rather than long-distance cruising ability.

Porsche is also working on a range-topping high-performance version of the Panamera, which will sit above the Turbo. Again it will mimic the equivalent Cayenne, the GTS, by doing away with the Panamera Turbo’s standard air suspension and replacing it with steel springs. The car could be badged as a Turbo S or even a GTS.

The Panamera’s influence on the rest of the Porsche range will be seen much more in other future models, meanwhile.

The car’s interior, with its high centre console and switchgear arranged down either side of the gearshift, will influence the cabins of the next generation of Porsches.

Dan Stevens

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