2009 is the year the Porsche Panamera will be launched. It is a four door, four seater coupe powered by a 4.5L V8 engine slightly modified from the Porsche Cayenne SUV. It will have the FSI system installed in it. The engine will roar in front while the rear wheels will be the ones to kick out dust. Although it is extremely unlikely, rumors is that an option for the Panamera will be the V10 engine from Porsche's limited-run Carrera GT supercar.

Porsche Panamera will be produced in the new plant at Leipzig alongside the Cayenne. It is the first V8-engined sports car built by Porsche since 1995, when the 928 was discontinued. Some consider it a suitable successor to the two-doored 928. The company built the new model as a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte and (to a lesser degree) a less expensive alternative to expensive vehicles such as the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin Rapide.

Like Porsche Carrera`s name, the Panamera`s derives from the Carrera Panamerican race. Before it, there were other four-door sedans prototypes, such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype or the even earlier 4 door prototype based on the 911, but they never went into production.

We all will hold our collective breath for this next course in Porsche’s engineering kitchen. If this proves to be anything like the 911 or better, the fast lanes of the free ways need to be cleared.