Porsche Debuts Three Advanced Hybrids

By Craig Taylor

March 3, 2010

Porsche revealed three new advanced hybrid vehicles. They include the 918 Spyder high-performance sports car concept, a new 911 GT3 R race car and the Cayenne S Hybrid.

Porsche’s President and CEO Michael Macht said earlier today at the Geneva Auto Show that the 918 Spyder employs plug-in hybrid technology and can achieve 0-60 miles per hour in less than 3.2 seconds.

Michael Macht, President and CEO of Porsche AG, presents the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept Car in Geneva.

Macht also presented the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, a car that uses two electric motors on the front axle to supplement the 480 horsepower engine driving the rear wheels. Instead of the heavy batteries usually found in a hybrid road car, an electrical flywheel power generator is installed next to the driver delivering energy to the electric motors.

The Cayenne S Hybrid features a highly sophisticated full parallel hybrid system that combines the power of a 333-horsepower V6 with a 47-horsepower electric motor, offering 380 horsepower—essentially the high performance of a V8 with the fuel efficiency of a V6. The Cayenne is expected to go on sale in the U.S. this fall.