The Porsche Panamera will receive a facelift in April 2013

No matter how many followers (or not as many as before) of the Stuttgart brand see this hatchback saloon as an atrocity, it cannot be said that sales have gone badly. And if Porsche wants that to continue, it will have to bring the Panamera up to date so that the tough rivals in the segment don’t steal its share. The British magazine CAR claims, according to its well-placed sources, that we will see this restyling next April.

The update has been spied on numerous times over the past year. Its bulky camouflage has not revealed much, although it gave the impression there was not much to reveal. CAR disputes the initial impressions and, based on statements from people who have already seen drawings of the restyling, the next Panamera will have little in common with the current one.

According to those opinions, there will be certain features drawn from the design of the new Boxster, that is, sharper and less rounded than the generation currently on sale. The big changes will not be limited to its design. The engines will change substantially, starting at the bottom of the range. CAR asserts that Porsche will replace the V8 of the Panamera 4S with a lighter and more efficient 3.0 V6.

But watch out, because to avoid losing power it will fit a twin-turbo, so the hitherto genuine “Turbo” will no longer be the only one of its kind. If that already seems outrageous to some minds, it will almost seem minor compared with the inevitable: Porsche will launch a Panamera Diesel with the Audi V8 TDI. Anything for sales…

Via | CAR