Porsche (POAHY) doesn’t think drivers should have to sacrifice luxury for utility.
The luxury car maker is planning to roll out its first station wagon in 2017, sources close to the strategy told Bloomberg. The brand, owned by Volkswagen (VLKAY), has yet to make an official announcement, but sources expect to see the model at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It will likely reach the market soon after that.
Sports cars have been steadily decreasing in popularity over the years, prompting Porsche to think about more practical options. It released its first sports utility vehicle in 2002, the Cayenne, and other models like the Macan have proven popular in the U.S. And China, according to Bloomberg.
Style-wise, the station wagon could be based on the Panamera Sports Turismo concept from 2012, though reviewers said the Panamera looked like “a humpback whale.” Or at least that was the case with the old model: Porsche is planning to unveil a hybrid Panamera during this month’s Paris Motor Show, sources said.
Porsche’s station wagon would compete with Mercedez-Benz’s CLS Shooting Brake: Both cars appeal to drivers that want some space, but also want a luxury vehicle. Mercedes’s station wagon has been successful, Bloomberg reported, with one review saying it offers “all the advantages of an estate car without the garden-center middle-classness.”
Porsche could not immediately be reached for comment.