Porsche Panamera Spied Testing With Center-Lock Wheels

We last saw Porsche testing a Panamera riding on center-lock wheels in August 2022. Months later, we are spotting it again during cold-weather development. The company generally reserves these pieces for hotter models like its GT models, so this car might hint at a hotter model on the horizon.

In front, the development team puts decals around the headlights for concealing their shape. There are panels around the corner intakes in the lower fascia, indicating that Porsche plans to tweak the styling there.

The center-lock wheels are the biggest change along the sides. They feature 10 spokes at the hub that split into a Y shape at the rim. Behind them, slotted brake discs and red calipers are visible. There's also a panel hiding something on the front fenders and a similar piece is on the C-pillar.

Porsche covers a large portion of the rear bumper and the outer sections of the taillights. The exhaust layout consists of a pair of circular outlets coming out of each side with a diffuser between them.

There are no good images of this car's cabin. Even looking through the windows doesn't reveal anything significant inside this vehicle.

The styling for this vehicle seems identical to the one we saw in August. Except, the earlier one was on the road in the United States, and this car was doing cold-weather development near the Arctic Circle.

With the center-lock wheels and seemingly more aggressive design for the front fascia and rear bumper, it seems like Porsche is working on a hotter Panamera. The powertrain is a mystery, though. The current range-topper in the sedan's range is the Turbo S E-Hybrid that makes 689 horsepower (514 kilowatts) and 642 pound-feet (870 Newton-meters) of torque. 

The launch date for this potentially meaner Panamera is also unknown. The new generation reportedly launches in the third quarter of 2023 and goes on sale in 2024.