Porsche Panamera Facelift Spied for the First Time, Will They Add a V6 Diesel?

These are our first spyshots of the Panamera refresh, which is likely to come out in 2020. They show only small changes over the trunk area, but they could be baiting us into thinking nothing will change. Porsche prototypes have a habit of adding features as testing progresses, and there's still plenty of time before the reveal happens.

We think they are adding a uniform red strip inside the taillights, just like you see on the newer Cayenne Coupe. Of course, the Panamera will also have different bumper updates, based on which model you buy. The Panamera might also debut interior features that eventually trickle down to all the other models.

Speaking of which, we have to talk about the possible engine changes. The Panamera features everything from a base 330 horsepower 3-liter turbo to a 680 horsepower plug-in hybrid. All of them are pretty fast, but the European Union might take issue with their frugality.

Audi recently made an aggressive switch to a new V6 TDI for its S performance models, which closely mirror the Panamera and are also based on this platform. Porsche did say it was moving away from diesel engines that cost it its reputation and even pulled the 4S Diesel, with its 4-liter TDI, from the range.

However, as every gram of CO2 matters, we wouldn't be surprised if the electrically supercharged 3.0 TDI gets dumped under the hood of this facelift. It makes just under 350 horsepower and pulls pretty well too. On the other hand, the gasoline-powered models could get a little more power. But it would only be a stop-gap until Porsche can figure out how it can make a fully-electric and sporty lineup.