Porsche Panamera made its official debut at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2009, at that receiving many criticisms about its look. During the past two years, most have come to realize just how impressive the Panamera is in terms of performance, luxury, and utility. However, considering that it’s been a while since its debut, the German car maker decided to give it a minor facelift and spy photographers have confirmed that with some new images showing how the sports sedan will look like.
First and foremost you’ll notice that the changes aren’t dramatic. However, the 2013 Panamera is apparently taking some design cues from the new Porsche 911/991 and some minor changes to the bumper and the headlamps. As you can see from these pictures, at the rear this test model is unchanged, but despite this fact, the final production version may features some subtle or evolutionary touches to the tail lamps and the bumper designs. Other than that, there’s not much to see in the way of changes.
Still, keep in mind that Porsche may instead be focusing on changes to the equipment and upholstery inside the car including all kind of upgrades for electronics and new materials in order to meet the standards of the market.
As for the power, we don’t expect to see any upgrades to performance or power output, but it’s always possible with Porsche, particularly with the turbo models. Still, there might be some performance enhancements for good measure, meaning a 3.6-liter V6 engine that may be slightly more powerful than the 300hp at 6,200rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 3,750rpm it currently delivers. Direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication, and “VarioCam Plus” will also carry over, as will the 7-speed PDK transmission.
Considering that the current Porsche Panamera Base is priced at $74,400, expect the 2013 model to exceed the $80,000 limit.
Images: CarPix
