{"id":9087,"date":"2013-01-10T16:12:31","date_gmt":"2013-01-10T15:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/2012\/12\/porsche-panamera-riflessione-evolutiva\/"},"modified":"2017-02-21T09:05:15","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T08:05:15","slug":"porsche-panamera-riflessione-evolutiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autodesignmagazine.com\/en\/2013\/01\/porsche-panamera-riflessione-evolutiva\/","title":{"rendered":"PORSCHE PANAMERA, EVOLVING REFLECTIONS"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Porsche is not just a sports car, it\u2019s the sports car in its respective segment. This precept, which is always clearly defined in the minds of the team of designers headed by Michael Mauer, was even more crucial in the project for the Macan.\u2028The idea of adding a compact SUV to Porsche\u2019s line-up fits into the strategy to expand the product portfolio masterminded by the Volkswagen top brass, and the synergies between the group\u2019s brands provided the foundations for the birth of this unprecedented new model. \u2028\u201cThe first step in the process was taken by Konzern Design, which defined a model for the proportions, as requested by our president Martin Winterkorn\u201d, explains Walter de Silva. \u201cWe considered two variants – one with a much more coup\u00e9-like silhouette, and the other, which was eventually chosen, with more generous volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Once the basic proportions were defined \u2013 with a particularly low, wide body for an SUV, exuding an imposing road presence \u2013 the next step was to infuse the nascent model with the identity of the brand, explains Mauer: \u201cIn addition to typical Porsche styling cues, such as the air intakes forming the front grille, fenders higher than the bonnet and the muscular shape of the rear shoulders, we started exploring new elements. The first of these is the clamshell bonnet \u2013 something that no-one else has in this segment, and which is more usually seen on a race car. In the tail, we spent a lot of time perfecting the three-dimensional LED taillight clusters, drawing from our experience with the 918 Spyder hyper-sports car: these are fascinating, precise objects, which also indicate the direction we intend to follow in future for these components.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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And while there are no direct styling grafts, there are numerous details inspired by other Porsches. These include the typical outline of the side daylight opening and the \u2018flyline\u2019 theme borrowed from the 911. In the lateral view, dynamic \u2018sideblades\u2019 emphasise the lower part of the doors. These distinguishing features, which also offer scope for personalisation, are evidence of coherence with the formal language of the 918 Spyder, which served as inspiration for the project as it represents the next step in the evolution of Porsche DNA.\u2028\u201cFor the interior, we were concerned with two aspects in particular: maintaining a distinctly sporty feeling and ensuring an unmistakeable brand identity.\u201d Opening the door reveals a typically Porsche ambience.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Looking at the design as a whole, it seems that this new SUV has in fact inherited more chromosomes from Porsche\u2019s coup\u00e9s than from its bigger sibling, the Cayenne. \u201cThat was deliberate\u201d, says Mauer, confirming what you can effectively see for yourself. \u201cThe Cayenne is a bigger car with a somewhat more functional vocation \u2013 our intention was not to recreate that car on a smaller scale, but to make an all-new product. If you look at the shoulder line of the Macan, you see that it has the same simple and unmistakeable flow as the 911 Carrera, and in cross section it is in fact the same.\u201d\u2028While the project was made possible by the synergies within the Volkswagen group, the Macan only shares its platform and suspension architecture with the Audi Q5, while all the mechanicals \u2013 from the engines to the all-wheel drive system conceived specifically for the model \u2013 are exclusive to Porsche.<\/p>\n

Full article in Auto & Design no. 198<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

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