Porsche is showing off a wide variety of its product range at Suntec. Here’s why it’s back after 14 years

SINGAPORE — What’s a motor show without exotic, high-performance cars? That’s a question that ceases to be relevant to the Singapore Motorshow this year, with Porsche’s return to the event after a 14-year break.

At Suntec the brand is launching the Panamera Sport Turismo, an unusual sort of car not just for Porsche but in general. It’s a big, speedy wagon that aims to satisfy people who want a sporty but luxurious car that’s large enough for family use.

For now it’s available here in fast (Panamera 4 Sport Turismo), faster (Panamera 4S Sport Turismo) and super fast (Panamera Turbo) versions, at S$398,388, S$578,488 and S$733,288 respectively. None of those prices includes Certificate Of Entitlement.

It’s the Turbo that you’ll see at Suntec; its 550 horsepower V8 launches the big wagon to 100km/h in only 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 304km/h. You certanily get performance for your money.

As for the more basic models, the Panamera 4’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo engine kicks out 330 horsepower and sends the car to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds (and a top speed of 259km/h). A twin-turbo V6 gives the Panamera 4S 440hp, enough for 0 to 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 286km/h.

Like the regular Panamera, the Sport Turismo is a big car, stretching past 5m in length. Its boot swallows 520 litres (20 more than the Panamera’s) and when you fold the rear seats, cargo capacity grows to 1,390-litres.

It’s the rear seats themselves that create the Sport Turismo its best selling point, though: they accommodate three people, instead of the regular Panamera’s two.

This five-seater capacity should give the Panamera Sport Turismo broader appeal among pragmatic Singapore buyers, especially among those who are family-oriented. That’s one reason for its being at the Motorshow, which is seen as a retail-driven event.

“As Singapore’s largest annual motoring event, we’re confident that the Singapore Motorshow is the perfect platform for Porsche to continue to grow our customer base, following record sales in 2017 of 615 cars,” says Henrik Drier, the general manager for the Singapore market at Porsche Asia Pacific.

Porsche is also launching an updated version of the 911 GT3 (below) at the event, so its sportscar pedigree is being represented there, as well.

“As Porsche’s brand continues to expand its appeal to a wider audience than ever before, we’ve selected the Singapore Motorshow as the ideal platform to showcase our most diverse and versatile models to our customers, fans, media and the general public.”

Although Porsche’s return does inject some welcome exoticism to the Singapore Motorshow, it says more about the evolution of the Porsche product line-up than it does about the direction of the motor show.

The Singapore Motorshow 2018 runs from January 11th to 14th at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Tickets cost S$6. The show closes daily at 10pm