Porsche Spreads Legs for 2012

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Porsche zealots aren’t gonna like this bit of news. Not one bit. Autocar UK is reporting that over the next 3-4 years, Porsche is going to introduce a host of new engines and new models. Looks like the Panamera four-door is just the beginning of a product diversification so broad that even BMW would be proud.

Follow the jump to take a peek up the skirt of the Stuttgart whore.

The picture above the fold is a masochistic artist’s interpretation of the Porsche “Roxster”, basically a 3-door pseudo-SUV based on the Audi Q5. If Porsche thinks that copying an Alfa Romeo design will prevent consumers and the media from bashing their product aesthetics, Porsche should look at a design other than the MiTo. Brera maybe?

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Porsche, looking to spread out the costs of the fancy schmancy Panamera platform, it also looking to introduce a modern interpretation of the 928. A competitor to the Bentley Continental GT isn’t a completely horrible idea, and now that VW owns both Porsche and Bentley, maybe the next Conti can be based on this instead of the porcine Phaeton platform.

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Referred to internally as the “new 356″, this sub-Boxster model will likely be introduced in late 2012 and share a platform with Audi’s upcoming R4. This means mid-engine, and turbocharged four-bangers. Interestingly, this new model won’t cost any more or less than for the company than making a 911. Instead, this new model will help distribute development costs and reach a broader segment of the market. This may lead to Porsche losing some of its cachet as it become accessible to hipster 3-series buyers, but probably not any more than the Cayenne already has.

Some 60 years after the first Porsche automobile graced the road, the company known for its spectacularly unrevolutionary 911 may soon have seven models in its line-up. Truly, this is a sign that VW ownership will be a good fit.

[Photo credits: Autocar]