What's all this about?

Oh, nothing much. Just a Porsche Panamera that can go from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and yet return 97.4mpg with 66g/km of CO₂ emissions. That's all.

You what?!

It's the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, a new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that sits above the existing Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. The Turbo S E-Hybrid - or, if you'll permit us, the TSEH, which is far easier to write - uses a lot of that existing PHEV's hardware, including its 136hp/400Nm e-motor, Porsche Traction Management (PTM) four-wheel drive and an eight-speed PDK gearbox. That means the TSEH can do 31 miles in full electric mode, takes between 2.5 and six hours to recharge its battery, and returns the astonishing eco-stats we outline above: not quite as noble as the 113mpg and 56g/km of the 4 E-Hybrid, but good enough for something capable of 192mph flat out (18mph faster than the current, if you'll pardon the pun, PHEV). It achieves this thanks to a change of the petrol engine up front.

So what have we got there?

Well, as the TSEH's name attests, it has the 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 from the 'unadorned' Panamera Turbo under the bonnet. This alone makes 550hp and 770Nm, but in tandem with the electric motor, the peak outputs climb to ridiculous figures of 680hp and 850Nm.

I take it Porsche has bolstered the chassis to cope with the power?

Yes, it comes with a range of tech, such as Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) with three-chamber air suspension, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (PDCC Sport), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) and 21-inch 911 Turbo Design alloy wheels. Which, er... aren't initialised. Ahem.

OK, when is this going on sale?

You can order it now, ahead of deliveries in the summer, and it comes in either standard or long-wheelbase formats, the latter with an additional 150mm of rear legroom. Prices are £137,140 for the regular wheelbase model, or £146,545 for the extended version. Before that, though, it will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.