Granted, the car is a beast, and represents one heck of an effort for the German luxury-vehicle maker to hop aboard the green-car train, however little sales they derive from it. The model delivers 416 horsepower from its V6 gas-powered engine and electric motor. So while that’s good for a fuel-economy rating (here in the States, at least) of 50 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), the car also has a top speed of 167 miles per hour. Think Montreal to Toronto in two hours and change, if the roads are empty. And not frozen. And have no speed limit.
Stateside, the plug-in Panamera has been selling in pretty low volumes. The model, including the gas-powered version, moved about 4,200 units through the first 10 months of the year, or about 10 percent of Porsche’s total. Through October, sales of the plug-in only were down 55 percent from a year earlier to just 358 units, so one shouldn’t expect a flood of them to be sold because of the three-percent discount. Still, a price cut certainly beats a snowshoe to the head. Take a look at Porsche’s press release below.
2016 Panamera S E-Hybrid now starts at $106,600
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 9, 2015 /CNW/ – Porsche Canada announced today that it had lowered the starting price of the Panamera S E-Hybrid for 2016 model year, effective immediately. The first plug-in hybrid vehicle in the luxury segment will now be offered starting at $106,600 – a reduction of $3,400 compared to the 2015 model year.
This adjustment effectively brings the price in alignment with that of the Panamera S. Now, the Panamera S E-Hybrid represents an even more compelling choice in the segment, offering such quintessential Porsche traits as style, performance, quality, and impressive efficiency of its advanced powertrain.
The hybrid tradition at Porsche extends back to the year 1899 and to the Lohner Porsche – the world’s first vehicle to have a battery-powered electric drive as well as a combustion engine, which was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche. The Panamera S E-Hybrid set standards worldwide as the first plug-in vehicle of the premium class. The 2016 Cayenne S E-Hybrid follows, transferring forward-looking technology to the premium SUV segment. Extraordinarily powerful hybrid technology was also featured in the 918 Spyder super sports car. This car serves as an example of technology transfer from motorsport to production cars: the most advanced form of hybrid drive technology is currently implemented in the 919 Hybrid race car, winner of the Manufacturer’s title in the 2015 World Endurance Championship.
Note: Accredited journalists can access photos and material related to the new Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid from the Porsche online press database at: https://presse.porsche.de.
