Porsche Canada is combining style and performance for the anticipated debut of its new four-door Panamera.

Porsche unveiled the new car at a private event at  up-market department store Holt Renfrew in Toronto last week The event  was part of Holt’s “Style Rules” speaker series, and featured racecar driver David Donohue.

The idea to reveal the Panamera at Holt was that of Porsche’s creative agency, Yield, and aligned perfectly with the type of consumer the car company is trying to reach, said Laurance Yap, manager, public relations, Porsche Cars Canada Ltd.

“Holt brought to the table a lot of their best customers who are not only the right target demographic in terms of age and income, but also the values that they share in terms of style, design and performance,” he said.

“Our goal with these events is to continue to offer our customers interesting and unique experiences within our stores and to align with partners and speakers who embody style in everything they do,” said Lanita Layton, vice-president, menswear, Holt Renfrew, in a release.

This is the first new Porsche in seven years, and the automaker’s first foray into the four-door premium luxury car market. 

Though the new vehicle is considered a hatchback, it competes with sedans like the Audi A8, Mercedes S Class and the BMW 7 series, said Yap.

“Porsche doesn’t introduce a new car very often,” he said. “This is a major addition globally to the line up. It’s a significant new car and puts us in a category of cars we’ve never competed with before.”

Porsche will support the launch with a larger Canadian ad campaign, also from Yield, in the coming months.