[UPDATE]: As a Motor1.com reader pointed out, the exhaust pipes on this prototype are not new and different in shape. This layout can be seen on the entry-level Panamera 4 model. Thanks to Andreas Öhgren Persson for catching our mistake!
On August 26 last year, Porsche unveiled the refreshed Panamera which introduced the Turbo S trim with 620 horsepower (462 kilowatts) and 604 pound-feet (820 Newton-meters) of torque. A few months later, in October 2020, the Stuttgart-based company unveiled the facelifted Panamera range-topper. With 689 hp (513 kW), the Turbo S E-Hybrid is the sedan’s most powerful variant for the 2021 model year.
Spied Again:
It’s quite surprising to see that Porsche is testing a prototype of the Panamera, which was caught by our photographers on public roads in Germany. Less than a year after the debut of the Panamera facelift, it seems that the automaker could be preparing another refresh. Or, alternatively, it could be cooking up a new version to join the range.
Gallery: Porsche Panamera facelift spied
Visually, this car looks a lot like the 2021 Panamera. The only little tweaks we noticed at the front include the different LED daytime running lights arrangement and the redesigned lower section of the bumper. Interestingly, this prototype doesn’t seem to feature the round fog lamps that were introduced with the facelifted Panamera last year.
At the back, there are even fewer things worth talking about. Almost everything appears to be unchanged compared to the official Panamera facelift photos. The only exception seems to be the exhaust setup - whereas the 2021 Panamera has a quad exhaust arrangement, this test car features a different setup with one oval pipe at each corner. This might hint at a potential lesser Panamera model for the new model year, though this is just an assumption.
Discover The Facelifted Panamera:
Whatever the case is, we know the Panamera is here to stay, at least for now. Just recently, Porsche’s boss Oliver Blume declared there's a good chance the combustion-powered model will be renewed and will be sold alongside the all-electric Taycan. Who knows, maybe Porsche has already begun the early R&D work on the next-gen model?
Source: Automedia