Porsche Working on Pajun Baby-Panamera

Porsche, the German carmaker once famous only for its sportscars, is now moving further and further away from its roots. It’s not as bad as it might sound at first, as we aren’t talking about a big sports utility vehicles with sporty credentials, but a proper car, a baby-Panamera, that could rival the M5’s performance.

Mind you, the M5 has a lot of rivals from Mercedes Benz, Audi and other carmakers, so the smaller Panamera will have a hard task ahead.

A recent report from German publication Auto Bild suggest that the future model is code-named “Pajun” internally, which is a joking way of saying it's a Panamera Junior. This will not be successor to the 928 that fans have been wanting for years, but a four-door model with a slightly smaller cabin and wheelbase.

Rumors have suggested that it is a performance machine first and foremost, with a V8 providing output between 400 and 560 horsepower. A diesel version will be available as well, churning out in the region of 300 horsepower. A V6-powered version also looks likely, given the car’s smaller proportions.

The big question remaining is why Porsche is moving more and more into the range currently catered to by co-parent company Audi. Thankfully, brand differentiation should be enough to ensure that the Pajun doesn’t take up too much of Audi’s market share.

Auto Bild says the model could cost from around €60,000, so at least it’s going to be competitively price. No information is available about the possible release date, but it looks unlikely to be in the next couple of years, as Porsche already has enough debuts lined up. We expect the Pajun’s architecture to also benefit Bentley in some way.