Porsche Chief Hints at Panamera Cabriolet

Porsche’s all-new high-performance sedan hasn’t even gone on sale in the U.S. yet, but recent reports indicate that the German automaker is already planning to expand the lineup. In true Porsche style, the 2010 Panamera will be the groundwork for future models including a convertible. Using the Porsche Panamera as the basis for a convertible would provide the car with a larger, more spacious cabin than the 911 Cabriolet can offer, and it would likely focus more on luxury (like a Bentley) rather than performance (like a 911) although all of Porsche’s offerings already deliver sufficient amounts of both.

Of course, nobody has come out and confirmed the existence of a future Panamera Cabriolet, but Wolfgang Duerheimer, Porsche development chief, said, “We have a broad range of 14 derivatives of the 911 that are very successful, so it stands to reason we should diversify the lineup for the Panamera as well."

Besides tossing varying degrees of tuning to its rear-engine sports cars, the best way Porsche knows how to diversify its lineup is by removing the top. A four-passenger Panamera Cabriolet would likely use a soft top similar to the 911 and the Boxster instead of going with the more popular and much heavier retractable hard top design. To maximize the handling of this rumored drop top, the Panamera convertible will use a two-door layout which will not only improve the rigidity but will also further reduce unnecessary weight. Another added benefit of removing the Panamera’s roof would be that it would allow the car to receive significant rear end design tweaks that could help reduce some of the criticism of the car’s polarizing hatchback.

Pricing for the Panamera Cabriolet is estimated to cost an additional $16,000 over the existing hardtop models which have a starting MSRP of $89,800 for the 2010 Porsche Panamera S. The top-of-the-line Panamera Turbo starts at $132,600. Giving the current timelines that Porsche develops its vehicles, we don’t expect to see a Panamera Cabriolet before 2012 since, as of yet, prototypes for the convertible haven’t even been spotted.

While there is no word on official production intentions for the drop-top Panamera, such a vehicle would help Porsche compete with cars such as the Aston Martin DBS Volante and the Maserati GranCabrio. An added perk to a Panamera convertible would be the fact that Volkswagen AG, about to take a majority stake in Porsche, could then use this chassis for one of its luxury performance subsidiaries that includes Bentley, Audi and Audi’s Lamborghini. In talking about the Panamera and the possibilities for future models, an unnamed member of the Volkswagen board said that the “new Porsche offers the potential for synergies.”

If produced, the Panamera Cabriolet could revive one of Porsche’s historic nameplates, such as the 928, and it could also spawn additional models such as a conventional hardtop sports coupe like the original 928.