Porsche's new hybrid car combines beauty, speed and sustainability
Companies are investing in new market niche: sustainable high performance cars
Porsche AG's new car, the 918 Spyder Hybrid, is the new sensation in the hybrid market.
In addition to maintaining Porsche's styling tradition, the hybrid has achieved one more feat: beating the Prius, Toyota's traditional hybrid, in efficiency. The new model can go from 0 to 100 km in less than three seconds. And it does this spending less than the Japanese model.
The 918 Spyder, which was unveiled at the 65th International Automobile Fair in Frankfurt, can travel up to 116 km on 3.7 liters of fuel - which beats the 80 km the Prius also does on 3.7 liters - and costs a trifle of $845,000.
But it doesn't look like the “green car” category will stop there: BMW, Mercedes and Audi are planning large-scale expansions of their high-performance units to boost sales and profits and help the development of new green technologies.
"Demand is growing for high-performance cars, especially in markets like China, the US and the Middle East," said Falk Frey, an analyst at Corp, a ratings agency.
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer also highlighted that “the company believes in electro-mobility and will put it on the road”. See a video showing the machine's qualities:
Savings only when filling the tank
The 918 Spyder will be the most expensive car Porsche has ever made and will go on sale in late 2013. The vehicle combines a gasoline engine with two electric motors, totaling 887 horsepower and a top speed of 318 km/h .
"With this super sports car, Porsche is pushing the limits of what is technically possible," said Matthias Mueller, head of Volkswagen AG, the arm of the Porsche brand. "We're going to prove to critical observers that sports cars have a great electric future," he concluded.
