Porsche has revisited its Product Strategy 2018 program – and the first casualty has been the company's upcoming E-Class rival, the Pajun.
According to UK magazine Car, word from inside the hallowed halls of Zuffenhausen indicates the Pajun (an abbreviation of Panamera Junior) is a victim of cost-cutting at the insistence of Porsche parent, Volkswagen. Said to be based on a 2012 concept, the Panamera Sport Turismo (pictured), the liftback sedan would have been launched within four years.
But with investment funds whittled back, the Pajun is now unlikely to appear before 2019 at the earliest. Changes to Porsche's Product Strategy 2018 plan may mean the Pajun has been delayed to leave room (and funds) available for a long-rumoured sports car that will slot in below the Boxster. That, however, is a project that seems destined to remain up in the air while Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche argue as to whether they want to share a platform for its development. A Porsche based on such a platform would probably be stuck with an in-line four-cylinder, rather than the company's traditional horizontally-opposed layout. Even that may or may not be be a hurdle to overcome however, since Porsche has also sold in-line four-cylinder sports cars in the past. Unfortunately, the Car report is by no means confirmation of Porsche's plans. As recently as the Macan global launch earlier this year Porsche chairman Matthias Müller was carefully choosing his words, but hinted that a seventh model for the Porsche range was on the cards. Photo courtesy of Photo 4.