The Germans who originally scoffed at Toyota's hybrids are now copying the technology.
The Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, today approved the development of the Porsche 918 Spyder.
The concept version of a Boxster based mid-engine sports car with plug-in hybrid technology made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and at Auto China in Beijing earlier this year.
Porsche is claiming that the 918 Spyder will produce CO2 emissions of 70 g/km, corresponding to fuel consumption of 3.0 liter/100 km (94.1 mpg imp) in the New European Driving Cycle.
Porsche is also claiming the Spyder will have the performance of a high performance sports car, which is a return to its heritage even though Porsche now sells more trucks and sedans than sports cars.
Defining “Porsche” has provoked quite a debate about the Southern German automaker, which made its name with small, fuel-efficient, extremely capable variants of Volkswagens, but has recently thrived as the maker of four-door sedans and sport utility vehicles.
Along the way Porsche has also produced some of the most powerful and least fuel efficient sports cars in the world. (See First Look: Porsche 911 GT2 RS)
“We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base,” said Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG.
The latest announcement follows the confirmation by Porsche that it is working on an all-electric vehicle. The company faces many challenges going forward as emissions, fuel economy and CO2 regulations tighten. (See Porsche Working on Electric Boxsters?)
For years the Porsche along with other German makers simply paid gas guzzler fines of millions of dollars per year in the U.S. This option is increasingly unattractive as governments around the world get tougher and, more importantly, buyers turn green and resist the fees that used to be simply and cynically passed along to them.
Volkswagen is in the process of taking over Porsche after a reckless attempt by the storied Zuffenhausen maker to take over VW with borrowed money collapsed along with the global economy.