Vroom Vroom
The fro yo of sports cars: Porsche goes green & non-gearhead yearns
Disclaimer: I know nothing about cars, except which ones I think are pretty and which ones I covet.
Falling into each of these categories is the new 918 Spyder concept Porsche introduced at the Geneva Auto Show this week. The thing is sleek, shiny and fast. And apparently guilt free — it claims to get 78 miles per gallon when "driven appropriately." It's like the fro yo of sports cars.
My question is this: What does driving appropriately actually mean, and why would you want to?
Road & Track reports the hybrid hits 62 mph in less than 3.2 seconds, and tops out at 198 mph. I also read that it laps the Nürburgring — apparently a big deal to gearheads.
The 918 Spyder runs on a combination of electric and gasoline power (you can plug it in, cute!) and joins a handful of other luxury brands debuting hybrid concepts this year. Ferrari also took its first stab at the green scene, although I imagine tooling around in the optimum-gas-milage range would take some of the fun out of owning a sports car.
Experts tell BusinessWeek — and the automakers themselves agree — that these hybrid concepts are more impressive marketing ploys than environmentally conscious cars of the future.
Hey, it's the thought that counts, right? I'll take the Spyder now and upgrade to the hybrid Cayenne in a couple years for soccer duty.
