The Porsche board has given the green light in the production of 918 Spyder Concept. This was rather expected, as Porsche once stated during the debut of the 918 Spyder Concept in Geneva Motor Show, that if there’s enough demand and booking, they may manufacture this concept. The 918 was Porsche’s hybrid sports car answer, which they claimed to have a powertrain that can deliver 78 miles per gallon.

The 918 has a 500-horsepower V8 as its power plant, which is tagged with a pair of electric motors that has 109-horsepower each. This has an alternative power source in the form of a lithium ion battery that is capable to provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. Not a very impressive figure for a hybrid sports car, but that’s due to the chassis structure of typical sports cars that do not have big compartment for heavy and bulky lithium-ion batteries. This will make do, until new advance batteries are developed.

The 918 Spyder is rumored to cost €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), but being a hybrid it will surely qualify itself for some tax relief in countries that promotes hybrid cars. Still ok for a car that’s giving you 16 miles of journey…

Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG: “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. 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.”

The Concept Study of the 918 Spyder allows CO2 emissions of just 70 g/km, corresponding to fuel consumption of 3.0 litre/100 km (94.1 mpg imp) in the NEDC, on the one hand, and the performance of a super-sports car, on the other. This extremely efficient drivetrain technology then forms a symbiosis in the 918 Spyder with truly outstanding design and high-tech motorsport achievements. Further product details of the 918 Spyder will be disclosed in the months to come.

PRESS RELEASE Porsche