Porsche launches the All-New Panamera Luxury Saloon at this years Paris Motor Show. comes with a hybrid as standard.

• Sustainability and performance - no contradiction for Porsche

The Paris Motor Show will see Porsche unveil the next model in the all-new Panamera line: the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid with standard all-wheel drive and an electric range of up to 31 miles (50 km). 

The plug-in hybrid vehicle generates 462 hp of total system output and delivers impressive fuel consumption of 2.5 l/100 km, which corresponds to only 56 g/km of CO₂ emissions. All figures to date are based upon the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

Performance Hybrid

At Porsche, the term "hybrid" is synonymous with sustainable mobility and performance – most recently displayed with the back-to-back victories of the Porsche 919 Hybrid in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 and 2016. This philosophy is now also defining the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid.

The new Porsche plug-in hybrid always starts in electric mode and continues as a zero-emission vehicle with a maximum all-electric range of 31 miles and a maximum speed on battery power of 86 mph. 

And yet, this Panamera is still a sports car among luxury sedans: the all-wheel drive four-door Porsche achieves a top track speed of 172 mph and delivers a total system torque of 516 pound-feet without hesitation. 

The torque is transferred to all four wheels, while the standard three-chamber air suspension ensures an optimum balance between comfort and performance at all times. The newest plug-in hybrid sports sedan breaks the 0-60 barrier in just 4.4 seconds.

New hybrid strategy based on the Porsche 918 Spyder

The superlative performance is no accident: the new Panamera 4 E-Hybrid features a hybrid strategy never before seen in this segment – a strategy based on the

918 Spyder. 

The 887-hp 918 Spyder is the fastest series-produced vehicle ever to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The record lap time of 6:57 minutes is in part attributed to the additional power provided by two electric motors.

As with the 918 Spyder, the power of the Panamera electric motor – 136 hp (100 kW) and 295 pound-feet of torque – is made available as soon as the driver touches the accelerator pedal. 

On the predecessor model, the pedal needed to be pressed at least 80 percent of the way down to unleash the additional power of the electric drive's "E-Boost" mode. 

Now, the electric motor is available to deliver additional power at any time. Together with the performance characteristics of the new 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 (330 hp and 331 lb.-ft.), this generates an impressive boost scenario based on the electric motor and turbochargers.

In the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, the electrical energy is also used to increase the car's top track speed. At Porsche, this new type of "E-Performance" – more power, more driving fun, lower fuel consumption – is seen as the performance kit of the future.

New hybrid module and fast-shifting eight-speed PDK

Together with the combustion engine decoupler, the electric motor heralds the next generation of the Porsche hybrid module. In contrast to the electro-hydraulic system of the previous model, the decoupler on the new Panamera is actuated electromechanically by an electric clutch actuator (ECA), resulting in even shorter response times.

Similar to the other second-generation Panamera models, a new, efficient, and extremely fast-shifting Porsche eight-speed Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission is used to transmit the power to the wheels. This transmission replaces the eight-speed automatic torque converter transmission in the previous model.

The electric motor is supplied with power via a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery. And despite the increase in energy content of the battery from 9.4 to 14.1 kWh (integrated under the luggage compartment floor), its weight has remained the same. 

The high-voltage battery takes just 12 hours to fully charge via a common 120 V, 10 amp connection. If the optional 7.2 kW on-board charger is utilized instead of the standard 3.6 kW unit, the charging times decrease to under three hours with a 240 V, 40 amp connection.

The charging process can also be initiated using a timer via Porsche Communication Management (PCM) or the Porsche Car Connect app (for smartphones and Apple® Watches). Additionally, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid features standard auxiliary air conditioning which can cool or heat the passenger compartment during charging.

Porsche Advanced Cockpit with hybrid-specific displays

One highlight of the second-generation Panamera is the newly designed display and control concept in the form of the standard Porsche Advanced Cockpit with touch-sensitive panels and individually configurable displays. 

Two seven-inch screens either side of the analog tachometer form the interactive cockpit, and in contrast to the other Panamera variants, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid features a power meter tailored to hybrid operation. 

The intuitive operating principle of the hybrid-specific displays is similar to that used in the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar. The power meter provides data such as the amount of electrical energy currently being used as well as the amount recovered through recuperation.

A 12.3-inch touchscreen functions as the centralized Porsche Communication Management (PCM) control and display unit. The driver can access various items of hybrid-specific information both here on the display and in the instrument cluster. 

The boost assistant and hybrid assistant are both practical and informative. The former display shows the energy available for boosting, while the latter provides various visual signals for regulating the electrical drive power.

Ultimate efficiency in "Hybrid Auto" mode

The Sport Chrono Package, which integrates a mode switch into the steering wheel, forms part of the standard equipment on the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. 

The mode switch and PCM are used to activate the various driving modes. These modes include the familiar "Sport" and "Sport Plus" modes from other Panamera models equipped with the Sport Chrono Package. The hybrid-specific modes are "E-Power," "Hybrid Auto," "E-Hold," and "E-Charge."

The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid always starts in "E-Power" which puts the powertrain in a pure electric mode. The "Hybrid Auto" mode is a completely new development which adjusts and combines the internal combustion and electric mode drive sources automatically for ultimate efficiency.

The "E-Hold" mode allows drivers to conserve the current state of charge of the lithium-ion battery. This will allow the driver to utilize electric mode (and therefore drive with zero emissions) in an environmental zone at their destination, for example. 

In "E-Charge" mode, the battery is charged by the V6 engine; to achieve this, the gasoline engine generates a higher level of power than is needed for driving.

The highest level of drive performance is made available in the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" modes. The twin-turbo V6 remains active in these modes. In "Sport" mode, the battery charge is maintained at a level to ensure there is sufficient e-boost capability when needed.

Finally, "Sport Plus" mode is all about maximum performance and allows the Panamera to reach its top track speed of 172 mph. This mode also recharges the battery as quickly as possible with the help of the twin-turbo V6 engine, while also dipping deeper into the power reserves to ensure maximum e-boost is available.

Panamera 4 E-Hybrid availability and pricing

The new 2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is expected to become available in North America by the summer 2017. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

Audi delivers third Iteration of the acclaimed Audi Prologue Design Concept at Shanghai.

Third iteration of the acclaimed Audi Prologue design concept with rugged allroad theme and hybrid drive is unveiled in China

• Third member of the Audi prologue family for all types of roads
• Innovative display and operating concept for digital interaction
• Powerful and efficient with plug-in hybrid technology
• 734 PS of system power with 33-mile electric range

High-end technology and unrestricted everyday practicality, plus alluring elegance: The Audi prologue allroad is making its world premiere at Auto Shanghai. The five-door show car with its raised body and tougher stance provides a new emphasis in the conceptual 

Audi prologue family. Its operating concept enables digital interaction between driver and passengers; the plug-in hybrid drive impresses with 734 PS, yet low consumption.

Like all allroad models from Audi, the Audi prologue allroad makes no compromises. 15 years ago, a new class of automobile debuted with the Audi allroad quattro: a car combining the comfort and dynamics of the luxury class with maximum variability and masterful off-road capability. 

Audi is now presenting a study in China that reflects a fresh interpretation of the typical allroad themes, providing a clear glimpse into the brand’s design future. 

The design of the Audi allroad prologue accentuates the elegance and uniqueness of the allroad concept.

Powerful and elegant: the side view

Viewed from the side, the 5.13 metre Audi prologue allroad displays the new, dynamic interpretation of the Audi allroad philosophy. A long front-end, a roofline that quickly begins to drop again and extremely flat D-pillars give it an athletic profile and emphasise the elegance and dynamics of the allroad concept in a fresh way.

The prominent bumpers and the widely flared wheel wells, which house 22‑inch wheels with a five-arm design, make the all-around talents of the Audi prologue allroad abundantly clear at the very first glance. The proportions emphasise the front and rear wheel equally.

The show car, finished in Dehua White, is a stage for progressive elegance in every detail. The window capping strips include sensor surfaces for the door locks; the covers for the charging port and fuel tank are also electric. Aluminium accents are present on the roof rails, the mirror housings, the area around the windows and both the front and rear of the car. 

An extension offset in grey runs along the wheel wheels and the entire bottom edge of the raised body. It expresses the power and robustness of the car and makes it seem even wider.

Progressive: the front end

A flat and wide Singleframe grille dominates the front. It is flushly integrated into the body. With their cohesive appearance, its brushed aluminium crossbars create a new variant of the Audi e-tron look. 

The show car’s wedge-shaped headlights feature Matrix laser technology, an innovation that further extends the Audi lead in lighting technology. The light is broken down into countless tiny pixels, and the possibilities for distributing this light are virtually boundless. LED light guides sketch a new e-tron light signature at the upper and outer edges of the air inlets, which are bisected by the bumper blade.

Dynamic: the rear

The rear of the Audi prologue allroad is strongly drawn-in laterally and as with a yacht is tilted in the direction of travel, giving the show car a dynamic appearance even when standing still. A narrow strip of lights connects the LED rear lights. Their housings are made of 3D glass producing three-dimensional, sculpted effects. 

The rear apron includes flat, horizontally split openings on both sides that graphically integrate the exhaust system into the rear-end design. This detail symbolises the drive concept of the Audi prologue allroad – the efficient interplay of combustion engine and electric motor.

Spacious and airy: the interior

With its elegant and highly variable interior, the Audi prologue allroad is the perfect car for everyday driving and recreation. Driver and passengers experience the spacious interior of the show car as a luxurious lounge. Graceful lines and slender geometric bodies convey the impression of expanse, serenity and lightness. 

The continuous centre console and the front seats appear to float. The instrument panel features a strictly horizontal orientation. Its upper level is part of the wraparound – the arc encircling the cabin and the luggage compartment. A perforated trim panel covers the broad air vent; it retracts as soon as the air-conditioning is set higher.

Glimpse into the future: the instrument panel

The interior architecture of the Audi prologue allroad merges with a groundbreaking new display and operating concept. Across its full width, the front of the instrument panel is designed to be a display surface which integrates three touch displays. 

Aluminium frames surround the driver displays to the right and left of the steering wheel. The front passenger can configure infotainment options using a widescreen display fully integrated into the instrument panel. He or she can swipe to send these to the right driver display or to the Audi virtual cockpit future behind the steering wheel.

The centre console tunnel houses an additional driver display for climate control system, infotainment and text input. Featuring innovative OLED technology with an extremely thin, flexible film, it displays brilliant, high-contrast images. When inactive, the display is in a flat retracted position; as soon as the car is started, it moves up at an angle. 

The brand with the four rings is also breaking new ground with the Audi virtual cockpit future, which lies in the driver’s field of view. High-resolution displays and three semi-transparent mirrors generate a virtual visual stage with three levels. Thanks to this staggered approach, information is structured better and is easier to grasp.

Innovation in the rear

Rear passengers in the Audi prologue allroad sit in individual seats. They use an additional OLED display on the centre console to adjust the seats, the climate control system and the infotainment for their area or to exchange data with the driver. When the audio system is switched on, a sound spoiler moves out of the rear wheelhouse panelings, homogeneously distributing music in the interior in top quality. Two Audi tablets, which can be mounted in the backs of the front seats, also use OLED technology. They are extremely thin and slightly curved.

The show car offers its driver and passengers superior comfort before the car even begins to move. The “butler” – an innovative, intelligent software program – identifies the passengers as they get in based on their smartphones and adjusts the seats and climate control system according to their preferences. The system also makes suggestions for music and route planning according to the owner’s preferences. The Easy Slot system in the centre console connects the phones with the onboard infotainment system and charges them inductively.

Novel: the materials and colours

The upper section of the instrument panel is finished in Lifestyle Blue, while the lower zone, the seats and the carpeting are Sard Brown. Bezels of open-pored, dark fine-grain ash veneer adorn the wraparound, the doors and the centre tunnel console. Aluminium elements set powerful accents.

Natural-looking Unicum leather is in large sections of the instrument panel, on the centre console tunnel and on the seats. Artfully designed perforations in the seat centre lines are evocative of the Singleframe grille bars. A generous band of Alcantara runs from the door inserts over the arm rests to the luggage compartment.

Powerful efficiency

Powerful on the road, superior in light terrain, always efficient: the technology in the Audi prologue allroad offers the ultimate in automotive freedom.

The 4.0 TFSI engine – a V8 with twin turbochargers – and the electric motor integrated into the eight-speed tiptronic produce 734 PS of system power and 900 Nm (663.8 lb-ft) of system torque. The quattro all-wheel drive system utilises the power of the Audi prologue allroad perfectly in every situation.

The show car rockets from 0 to 62mph in 3.5 seconds, yet is capable of achieving up to 117mpg according to the NEDC standard for plug-in hybrids, which corresponds to 56 grams CO₂ per km. The lithium-ion battery mounted in the rear of the car has a capacity of 14.1 kWh for a purely electric range of 33 miles. With its AWC (Audi wireless charging) technology which the brand is developing for series production, the Audi prologue allroad can also be charged inductively.

The body of the Audi prologue allroad is 77 mm higher than that of the Audi prologue Avant. The chassis is state-of-the-art. The front and wheel axles are lightweight, five-link constructions. The 20-inch brake discs are made of weight-saving carbon-fibre ceramic. 

The adaptive air suspension sport – an air suspension system with controlled damping – offers a wide range between extremely comfortable cruising and tight handling. The dynamic all-wheel steering combines a variable-ratio, dynamic steering unit with an additional steering unit for the rear wheels to harmoniously resolve the conflict between dynamic driving and stability.