There’s no question that Porsche is on the move. The company that once revolved almost entirely around the 911 has since expanded to include smaller sportscars, sedans and SUVs, and is showing little sign of slowing down. The Cajun is set to arrive shortly to slot in below the Cayenne, while the 918 supercar will anchor the top end of the company’s product line-up. But that ain’t all.
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Porsche is also said to be working on a Junior Panamera tentatively known as the Pajun, though we pray that’s just a temporary moniker until the final name is announced. Britain’s Car magazine claims the Pajun could breed sedan, coupe, convertible and even shooting brake derivatives, and share its underpinnings with upcoming models from Bentley and Lamborghini as well. Both those bits of information, however, have also been said about the next-generation Panamera under which the Pajun is meant to slot, so we’d take that bit with a grain of salt.
Powertrain options, meanwhile, are speculatively tipped to include V6 engines producing as much as 550 horsepower in direct-injection, turbo form, a twin-turbo V8 topping 600, a plug-in hybrid and an array of Audi-sourced diesels, driving either the rear wheels or all four – all of which also seems conspicuously Panamera-like.
Back at the heart of what Porsche does best, the 961 project that was initially expected to pack a twin-turbo V8 in a 911-based chassis has, according to CAR, been dropped in favor of what’s now being dubbed as the 960. The supercar would still slot below the 918 but reportedly be based on a new mid-engine platform, separate from both the 911 and the next-generation Lamborghini Gallardo and Audi R8.
Considering the synergies which the Volkswagen Group seems keen to bank on and the number of cars the group already fields in this segment, that doesn’t seem likely, but the plan to switch to a twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six just might, though distinguishing it from the upcoming new 911 Turbo could prove a tough sell even for a mint like Zuffenhausen.
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