Porsche remains open-minded about creating a spiritual successor to its 928 grand tourer – 25 years after the front-engine coupe disappeared.
Speaking to Australian media recently, Porsche Panamera product line chief, Thomas Friemuth, admitted the German giant is considering several ways to expand the line-up of the luxury sedan and wagon – and a coupe is on that list of possibilities. But he stressed, no decision has yet been taken.
“We have not finally decided yet,” Friemuth said. “So we are just discussing this topic for several years as you can imagine since other competitors also have two-door cars.
“Be we’re not finally yet ready to decide whether to do this or not. We have quite a nice two-door car in our program called the 911.”
He added: “We are always looking at new opportunities to get new markets and more customers. I can talk about it when we have the decision for it – not yet. I have a lot of ideas.”
Adding a Panamera Coupe, which would fill the hole left by the 928 and sit alongside the 718 and 911, would give Porsche a rival to other German coupes. Mercedes-Benz has both the SL and AMG GT while BMW has recently revived the 8-Series range and introduced the M8. Britain’s Aston Martin DB11 would also be in the sights of a born-again Porsche ‘928’.
However, given that Friemuth says no firm decision has been made yet and the current generation Panamera is now into the second-half of its lifecycle, it’s unlikely Porsche would invest in a new spin-off until the next-generation Panamera arrives later this decade.
A Panamera Coupe would likely require a short-wheelbase version of the car’s platform, which would be a costly investment at this stage but could be factored into the next model.
Tell us what do you think: Should Porsche revive the ‘928’ with a Panamera Coupe? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
Discussion about this post