After the longest build up in automotive history, Porsche has finally presented the Panamera to the public at the Auto Shanghai show. The fourth model in Porsche's range goes on sale in Germany in September with two eight cylinder engines in rear and four wheel drive. A six-cylinder petrol model and a hybrid version follow later.

Porsche is right in saying 'the Panamera clearly stands out from the competition at very first sight.' The four-seater Panamera is sure to invoke a similar Cayenne-like love/hate relationship with car enthusiasts the world over.  

Among the more innovative items on the Panamera's tech list are Start-Stop in conjunction with an automatic transmission, optional air suspension with additional air volume available on demand in each spring and active aerodynamics on the Panamera Turbo.

And to prove Porsche is keen to play the green marketing game, the release statement announced that 'All models in the Panamera range come with Direct Fuel Injection, low-friction drive systems, and weight-optimised lightweight bodies.' But that's just good design anyway.

Are you ready to accept another five-door Porsche into the family?

Read more in the May 2009 issue of Topcar where we take a Panamera on an epic 5 600km road trip through South Africa dodging baboons and Porsche engineers.