Print    Respond to Editor    Reprints  

Blogs

Porsche's green surprise

Diana Kuylko covers various import brands headquartered in the New York area for Automotive News.

GENEVA -- The Volkswagen Group welcomed Porsche as the newest member of its growing collection of brands by rolling out a surprise plug-in electric hybrid concept sports car.

At the VW Group event on the evening prior to the Geneva motor show, Porsche showed the two-seat 918 Spyder concept powered by a 500-hp V-8 and three electric motors that provide an additional 218-hp. Each of VW's nine brands unveiled a new vehicle at the event.

The 918 Spyder also has a lithium ion battery behind the passenger compartment.

Porsche CEO Michael Macht said there's no decision on whether to produce the sports car. But he said "we rarely show a concept that we don't produce."

The car has been tested on the famous Nuerburgring race track in Germany where it clocked with a top speed of 198 mph. Porsche said its lap times make it faster than the Porsche Carrera GT.

You can reach Diana T. Kurylko at dkurylko@crain.com.
Follow Diana on