Though we’ve often criticized automakers for using touch-sensitive controls instead of regular buttons, there’s no denying the slick look of this Porsche Panamera interior. Whereas the old car had a huge array of buttons that reminded us of a Motorola flip phone keyboard, the new one instead has white icons with red illumination on a gloss-black trim piece around the shifter. The car also now has a drive-select switch on its three-spoke steering wheel, as well as larger touchscreen infotainment system with a series of touch-sensitive mode buttons on its left-hand side. The instrument cluster now has color screens on both sides, not just to the right of the tachometer as in today’s Panamera.
The next-gen Porsche Panamera will ride on Volkswagen Group’s new MSB modular platform, which is also set to be shared with the future Bentley Continental, Flying Spur, and Mulsanne, as well as the next Audi A8. With a front-mid engine arrangement and both rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts possibly, the platform should have improved weight balance compared to the current Panamera.
Look for the new Porsche Panamera to make its public debut later this year.
