Intitial Porsche Panamera Sales Are Impressive

Often vehicles that are much derided on the Internet and by automotive pundits had proven to be very successful. Best example? BMW's Bangle-created design language, which powered BMW to more success than ever.

Current cars getting a lot of criticism include Honda's recent CrossTour and no doubt, the Porsche Panamera.

Automotive News is reporting that the ordering process for the Panamera has been opened up, with initial orders being very strong. According to North America Chief Operating Officer Michael Bartsch, Porsche has gotten 968 firm orders for the sedan and it is helping boost traffic numbers in showrooms. Those kind of order figures for an expensive sedan like the Panamera in the current state of the economy is very good.

It is a testament to the power of the Porsche brand name and current interest in four-door luxury coupes. Could the Panamera go on to be a big hit, like the Cayenne? Who knows. Perhaps one of the most perplexing things though is that most of these people have yet to see the car in person, and it supposedly looks much better in the metal.

Porsche North America will be getting about 1,200 Panameras in the United States this year, with about 200 units being kept as demonstrators. Next year, Porsche plans to produce 20,000 Panameras, with the United States getting between 4,000 and 6,000 cars.