Porsche Panamera poised to go all-electric

The Porsche Panamera could switch to electric power as the sports car maker aims for 80 percent of its global vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2030.

Over the next several years, all Porsche nameplates — except for the flagship 911 — are expected to be battery-powered.

Porsche is also expanding its lineup with a flagship electric three-row crossover.

"We are pushing ahead with our electric offensive: By the middle of the decade, we want to offer our 718 midengine sports car exclusively in an all-electric form," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said this summer.

The Panamera could go electric in the second half of the decade, timed with the arrival of the next-generation Taycan electric vehicle.

According to an Autocar report, the new EVs will feature a sporty version of Volkswagen Group's Scalable Systems Platform.

The report said the "SSP Sport" platform features a low cabin floor and rear footwells similar to the Taycan.

A Porsche Cars North America spokesman declined to comment.

Autocar's sources say the Panamera EV will have a wheelbase of about 10.1 feet and an overall length of about 17 feet, similar to the existing long-wheelbase Panamera sold in China, maintaining the size differentiation from the electric Taycan.

The Panamera EV will be offered with a single- or dual-motor drivetrain. It will also receive a next-gen 800-volt battery with a more energy-efficient cell technology and a higher-silicon-content anode than that used by Porsche today, the report said, citing unnamed sources.

The all-electric Panamera could be styled similarly to the internal combustion and plug-in hybrid versions.

"There will be some unique design elements within the front and rear ends," Autocar said, citing a "highly placed" Porsche source. "However, the core Panamera design will be the same for both."

Porsche could sell the zero-emission Panamera alongside the current-gen model, which will receive a freshening next year. The current Panamera's life cycle could be extended, allowing Porsche to maintain a choice of powertrains while EV adoption grows.