Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Friday, November 23, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A spokesperson at Porsche's U.S. headquarters was cagey about the five vehicles that were recently cold weather-tested in Yellowknife.

"How did you hear about this?" asked Timo Roesch, head of product planning with the company.

This Porsche went through cold weather testing in Yellowknife. Porsche representatives were reluctant to comment on the car's presence in Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Steve Hatch

He said the test drivers were engineers from Germany, and they were testing the car's performance in cold weather.

Porsche does cold weather testing around the world, in other places such as Alaska and Yukon.

"We go where it's cold," he said.

"(It's) so that we launch the cars with no problems."

Further questions about the testing and the cars was met firmly with: "We don't comment on these test trips, we have to keep our cars from being photographed."

The Porsche 911 Panamera is set to be released in 2009 as a four-door luxury sedan. The car has been testing since 2006.

Jeffery Corradetti, founder of the Yellowknife 4 by 4 club the Blizzard Wizards, said he wasn't surprised to hear that Porsche was reluctant to talk about the testing.

"The automotive industry, to be honest with you, is the most competitive industry in the world," he said.

"Every auto manufacturer always does this. They do this so they can get the public talking about their products. They also don't want any other manufacturers knowing details about their car."

He said the style of the Porsche that was in town may not be how the final vehicle will look.

"They've done that always from day one," he said. "They camouflage their vehicle...so you don't really get to see the vehicle until its final stages."

Because of this, car magazines are eager to find out more details on car companies, he said.

"They have people following car companies taking spy shots," he said.

The Porsche 911 Panamera is rumoured to be a front engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a modified version of the 4.5 L V8 engine.

"It's the same motor in one of their SUVs right now," Corradetti said. "It's a part-Volkswagen engine."

The last Panamera was the 989 from the late 1980s.

The Porsches were loaded up on Monday to be flown back to Germany.

"The Germans are very staid with their engineering; it's very precise," he said. "It doesn't really push the style."

The Panamera is intended to compete with the Maserati, said Corradetti.