Wheels Australia — August 2016

The new 324kW 2.9-litre V6 of

the Panamera 4S and the 404kW

4.0-litre V8 of the Panamera Turbo

are the product of a five-year

collaboration between Porsche

and Audi. The program is called

KoVoMo. This stands for Konzern

Vee Otto Motoren, which basically

means ‘petrol vee engine group’.

The engines have much in

common; 93mm bore spacings,

90-degree vee angle, and

readiness for hybrid applications.

“We are completely responsible

for the V8, for the 4.0-litre

engine,” said Kerner, who moved

to Porsche from Audi in 2011.

Audi led the V6 side of the

program, but Porsche has the

freedom to tailor a package that

suits its needs. “The (3.0-litre)

V6 at Audi is the base model,”

Kerner pointed out. “It is only

340 horsepower (260kW), it’s only

single turbocharger.”

Porsche’s 2.9-litre V6 has twin

turbochargers, a fraction less

capacity, slightly different engine

block, a higher compression ratio

and is much more powerful.

So how many more KoVoMo

engines are in the pipeline?

“More than three,” is all the cagey

Kerner would reveal.

JOHN CAREY

New Panamera interior

Interior look is much cleaner than the original

Panamera launched in 2009. Volkswagen

Group stablemate Audi seems to have

provided both inspiration and technology. Big

analogue tachometer is the centrepiece of the

instrument display, but it’s flanked by a pair

of 7.0-inch displays with functions similar to

Audi’s Virtual Cockpit. Menus on the big

12.3-inch central touchscreen dramatically

reduce the need for physical buttons.

New Panamera exterior

New Panamera is longer than before, but

width and height are similar. A wheelbase

stretched 30mm and more swoop to the rear

roofline contribute to a big improvement in

proportions and overall looks. The car is due

here in the first quarter of 2017. All come with

a new eight-speed double-clutch gearbox. All-

wheel-drive, air suspension, electronically

controlled dampers and adaptive cruise

control will all be standard in Australia.

Panamera prices will be: 4S $304,200;

4S Diesel $312,100; Turbo $376,900.

Watchdog crackdown on dealers

The Australian Competition and Consumer

Commision (ACCC) is launching an

investigative study into car retailers. The

consumer watchdog wants to make sure

dealerships are allowing consumers to exercise

their rights. “Consumer issues arising in

relation to new car retailing is a priority area

for the ACCC,” said commission chairman Rod

Sims. The study will focus on the ability of

consumers to enforce their rights, and false,

misleading and deceptive practices in relation

to performance, fuel efficiency and emissions.