Coming to America: 2010 Porsche Panamera

Porsche is set to unveil its first ever four-door non-SUV model the new Panamera to the American public during the Monterey Peninsula's Classic Car event in mid-August. The new four-door sports car will be available in three configurations: a 4.8-liter, 400-hp V8 in Panamera S and all-wheel-drive Panamera 4S, and a twin-turbo 500-horsepower V8 in the Panamera Turbo. All models will feature a seven-speed double-clutch automated manual transmission that shifts like an automatic without the energy losses of a normal automatic transmission.

The Panamera will come with a start/stop feature that drivers will have to enable. This is to aid fuel economy by shutting down the engine when it comes to a stop and firing back up when the brake pedal is lifted. Fuel economy numbers are not yet available.

Establishing its performance credentials, the turbo version is reportedly now the fastest luxury sedan around the famous Nürburgring race track in Germany. The recent time beats the Cadillac CTS-V by 3 seconds with a time of 7 minutes 56 seconds on the 12.9-mile Nordschleife loop, as reported by German auto magazine Sportauto, via Motor Trend.

The MSRP for the Panamera S is set at $89,800, the Panamera 4S at $93,800 and Panamera Turbo $132,600. The 2010 models will go on sale in the U.S. market on October 17th.

—Liza Barth