Porsche Panamera with improved hybrid performance debuts in Korea

The latest Porsche Panamera, the first new version in seven years, made its debut in the country on Tuesday, promoting its greatly improved electric-only range.

Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann, left, and Thomas Friemuth, head of the Panamera product line at Porsche AG, pose with the new Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid at a launching event in central Seoul on Tuesday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

Porsche introduced the new Panamera in Korea on Tuesday with a hybrid option that nearly doubles its electric-only range.

The luxury sedan is the first fully revamped version in seven years.

At 5 meters in length, 1.9 meters in width and 1.4 meters in height, the sports sedan is roughly the same size as its predecessor.

But its Turbo E-Hybrid variant has been upgraded with a 4.0-liter and 8-cylinder engine, which is mated with a plug-in hybrid system and 140-kilowatt electric motor.

Interior of the new Panamera Turbo E-hybrid [PORSCHE KOREA]

The sedan is able to travel up to 93 kilometers (58 miles) solely on its electric motor, a great improvement over its predecessor with a range of only 53 kilometers, according to Europe's Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure standards.

The Turbo E-Hybrid only takes 3.2 seconds to reach 100 kilometers per hour from zero, with a maximum speed of 315 kilometers per hour.

Performance has been upgraded with a maximum of 680 horsepower and 94.9 kilogram-meters (686.4 foot-pounds) of torque.

The hybrid version also comes with the new Porsche Active Ride active suspension system that utilizes newly developed active shock absorbers with two-valve technology connected to an electrically operated hydraulic pump.

The new Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, which was introduced in Korea on Tuesday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

"With its unique blend of sports car performance and luxury sedan comfort, the Panamera is the epitome of luxury sports sedans and a symbol of the brand’s evolution and innovation," Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann said during a media event Tuesday in central Seoul. "With its extensively upgraded engine, attractive design, and optimized digital experience, the refined third generation of the Panamera will assert its dominance within the luxury market of Korea."

The sticker price of the new Panamera 4 starts from 176.7 million won ($131,000), and the Turbo E-Hybrid at 309.1 million won. Delivery will start in May for the Panamera 4 and in the second half of the year for the Turbo E-Hybrid.

The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid will be also introduced in Korea within the year.

Porsche sold over 11,000 cars in Korea last year, of which around 1,800 were Panamera sedans. In terms of Panamera sales, Korea is the third-largest market in the world.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]