Porsche Panamera revealed in official photos

Click to view more photos of the Porsche Panamera.

(Credit: Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) )

Porsche's upcoming Panamera, err, wagon (or as I like to call it, the Cayenne for acrophobes) has been revealed in all of its officially photographed glory.

Based on the specs released by Porsche, the Panamera is slightly longer than the Cayenne and much shorter vertically. In the photos, we can see the dual-element headlamps with integrated turn signals, which were introduced on the new 911 and continued on the freshly minted Cayman and Boxter. We also see the air dam-located daytime running lamps. The profile is decidedly Porsche, albeit a bit distorted to make room for the two additional doors. All in all, it looks much better than we thought it would, in the photos at least. Viewed from the front quarter angle, the Panamera's coupe-like roofline does a fairly good job of hiding the vehicle's mass, which is painfully obvious from the rear.

Set to officially debut in Spring 2009 and hit dealers by the Fall of the same year, Porsche is still keeping its cards close to its vest as far as power-train details are concerned. What we can expect are engine options similar to those on the Cayenne, starting with a V-6 that makes about 300 horsepower and peaking with a turbocharged V-8, similar to the one in the Cayenne Turbo S, making around 500 horsepower. All engines will feature direct-injection technology and six-speed manual and seven-speed PDK transmission options, with power being sent through the rear wheels or all wheels.

Porsche also is preparing a fuel-efficient version of the Panamera with hybrid drive.

View more photos of the Porsche Panamera.