Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid set to storm Sri Lankan shores
View(s):Eurocars (Pvt) Ltd, agent for Porsche vehicles in Sri Lanka, is gearing to boost Porsche Hybrid vehicle sales in the country, despite a challenging market and high taxation.
Anticipating a substantial increase in turnover and sales in 2014, the company has introduced the new Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, the world’s first plug-in hybrid in the luxury class and it is equipped with 416 hp of system power, officials of Eurocars said.
The new car. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
This car is expected to attract high-end customers as well as company chairmen and top executives as it provides the benefits of reduced fuel consumption and emissions without compromising on the typical performance expected – making it more efficient, chairman of the company Arthur Senanayake told Business Times.
Explaining the special features of the vehicle at a photo shoot of Panamera S E-Hybrid at Independence Square in Colombo, Sales Manager, Shamal Fernando disclosed that the electric driving range of the car has been determined to be 36 km in NEDC-based testing.
Driving range may vary in real operation, since air conditioning and heating are deactivated in NEDC test conditions, for example. A realistic all-electric driving range in everyday operation would lie somewhere between 18 and 36 km – and under particularly favourable conditions it could even exceed this range.
The Panamera with the new hybrid drive can reach speeds of up to 135 km/h in all-electric operation, he said.
This vehicle is a systematically advanced development of the parallel full hybrids with a more powerful electric motor, a higher-performance battery that supplies more energy and the ability to charge it externally from the electrical grid.
Depending on the type of external electrical supply, the battery may be fully charged within a few hours, and the battery is recharged by electrical system recuperation while driving, he pointed out.
Its all-electric driving performance has been substantially improved with regard to electric acceleration, the electric range and electric top speed.
Battery charger
An intensive pure electric driving experience is possible without any fuel consumption or local emissions, which is especially advantageous in the urban environment.
The car’s top speed is 270 km/h. The parallel full hybrid concept developed by Porsche also offers “coasting” at higher speeds, which refers to free coasting with the internal combustion engine shut off and energy recovery by generating electricity, Mr. Fernando revealed.
The new Panamera S E-Hybrid also offers many differentiating exterior characteristics.
Further customisation is achieved by the numerous options that are offered, including the new LED headlights, which give it a very special appearance.