Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid flagship revealed with 500kW

Porsche has lifted the lid on its 500kW range-topping Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, which will be the most powerful Porsche ever sold in Australia when it arrives in local showrooms.

The hi-po plug-in hybrid is the first electrified vehicle to headline a Porsche model range. Its heady combined power output comes from coupling the regular Panamera Turbo’s 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 engine with a 100kW electric motor and 14.1kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack.

Peak torque of 850Nm is available virtually from idle, meaning the four-door coupe has enough shove for a 0-100km/h blast of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 310km/h.

Electric only range is a stated 50km on a full charge, and combined fuel consumption of 2.9L/100km is claimed.

Porsche’s innovative modular hybrid system is configured within a new eight-speed PDK automatic transmission, and already filtering into Porsche Panamera, Cayenne and Porsche Macan models.

A similar hybrid setup is already in play in the Panamera E-Hybrid, where it boosts the output of the twin-turbo V6 from 243kW to 340kW, though its additional 300kg erodes some of the power benefit.

Standard equipment for the Turbo S E-Hybrid includes ceramic brakes, dynamic chassis control, torque vectoring, adaptive aerodynamics and air suspension.

While the basic shape is identical to any other second-generation Panamera, the Turbo S flagship gets the trademark ‘acid green’ brake calipers and ‘eHybrid’ badges that distinguish the brand’s petrol-electric models.

Porsche will show the car publically next month at the Geneva motor show, with an Australian arrival scheduled for the second half of this year priced from $460,100.

The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid marks the start of an ambitious hybrid assault for Porsche’s four-door models and signals a turning point for the manufacturer as it adapts to tighter emissions regulations and regional requirements for short-range, electric-only driving.

Given the component sharing within Porsche’s volume-selling SUVs – Macan and Cayenne – expect to see the hybrid setup spread across the four-door line-up, with the next model likely to be the 2019 Porsche Cayenne.

While Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren have utilised electric motors and batteries in their most recent hypercars, the move to rely on electrons rather than unleaded is unprecedented in the mainstream performance market.