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Frankfurt 2013: Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid looks like a million bucks – because it is

frankfurt 2013 porsche 918 spyder hybrid looks like a million bucks because it is backprofile
Porsche's 918 plug-in hybrid supercar looks like a million bucks, but that's OK since that's what it costs.

The hotly anticipated Porsche 918 Spyder has been unveiled and – not surprisingly – the halo car goes toe-to-toe with the LaFerrari and McLaren P1. 

The LaFerrari and the McLaren P1 no longer have the hybrid supercar realm all to themselves. Porsche officially pulls the veils off the 918 Spyder at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, making it a three-way race for hybrid halo car dominance.

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Porsche makes a convincing case with the 918 Spyder. Constructed of carbon fiber, the two-seater open-top supercar weighs only 3,692 pounds – and much of that weight comes from it prodigious powertrain. Porsche bolted a race-inspired 4.6-liter V8 behind the rear seats that produces 608 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. And that’s just for the gas engine.

Cleverly, engineers designed many of the car’s accessories to be powered not by the V8 engine but by electricity. This means neither an alternator nor an air-conditioning condenser hinders the engine’s power output. Just as clever is the V8’s exhaust system, which doesn’t exhaust down or out the back but instead towards the sky, This not only makes for a very dynamic look from the rear of the car but also keeps the onboard lithium-ion battery packs from being overheated.

The 918 Spyder has two more power sources besides the V8: a 154-horsepower electric motor also turns the rear axle while a 127-horsepower electric motor spins the front wheels. This takes total system power output to an impressive 887 horses and 590 lb-ft of torque. With the V8 and both electric units spinning, 918 Spyder will do 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds and 0-124 in 7.9 seconds. Which, ironically enough, is actually faster than your soul can leave your body.

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Porsche gave its latest halo car four drive modes: the standard E-Power, which provides an electric-only range of up to 18 miles at speeds up to 93(!) mph; Hybrid mode, which works to give the driver the most efficient power delivery (i.e. it zaps power and gas) and provides up to 85 mpg; Race Hybrid, which ramps up gear ratios, spins the electric motors at full tilt while throttling up the V8; and lastly Hot Lap, which puts all the ponies to the pavement in true ‘melt the polar caps, baby; we’re going for speed’ style.

Just like the Audi nanuk quattro concept, the 918 features four-wheel steering that, according to Leftlane News, is the equivalent of adding 50 horsepower or removing 220 pounds from the car while on the track.

The Porsche 918 Spyder, however, is not cheap. The base unit will run around $1,030,000. If that weren’t enough, you can spec the Porsche halo car with a $95,000 “Weissach Package” that drops curb weight down to 3,615 pounds and opens up the paint color options to several historic Porsche racing-inspired hues and adds – on the interior – six-point safety harnesses along with Alcantara upholstery.

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Remember, this car wasn’t built to be a big seller. It was built to prove a point: that Porsche is capable of going toe-to-toe with the best of them in terms of super cars and hybrids supercars at that. The best bit for us non-billionaires is that most of the technologies that debuted under the skin of the Spyder will eventually trickle down to lower-range Porsches in the years to come.

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Frankfurt 2013: Are high-tech hybrids and EVs carving out a new premium car segment?

They’ve been gaining momentum over the past couple of years – high-end automobiles that satisfy a taste for luxury as well as craving for the latest technology.
From the million-dollar halo cars like the LaFerrari, the McLaren P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder  showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show to the $135,000 plug-in hybrid BMW i8, high-end automobiles have suddenly taken a completely different turn. 
Unlike premium automobiles in decades past, there’s a growing trend in the world of cars driven by premium vehicles that offer the latest advancements in technology rather than traditional luxury interior features like soft-touch leather and wood veneers.
Spending considerable time in Southern California, I’ve come to call it the “Tesla Effect.” In large part, the demand for and desire for high-tech, high-end cars is being been driven by the popularity of the Model S, a car that’s generated as much buzz for its in-car connectivity features as it has for its blindingly fast e-powertrain. But the interior trim? While nice, it's far more functional than beautiful.
For those who can afford it, whether you actually need any of the tech or wood trim is irrelevant. But, as indicated by some of the vehicles displayed at Frankfurt, there are a growing number of automakers that are looking to cater to the growing number of buyers wanting the best in tech rather than walnut dash inserts.

The all-electric Cadillac ELR coupe, making its European premiere at the show and set to debut next year, represents Cadillac’s attempt to lure in premium buyers with tech elements like regenerative paddle shifters that help to store energy for later use and in-car command centers like the CUE infotainment center stack.
“ELR marks a fresh, even surprising new dimension of Cadillac,” said Bob Ferguson, Cadillac global vice president, in a company press release, following the debut of the car earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show. “An additional aspect of ELR’s appeal will be exclusivity. It will be a specialized offering produced in limited numbers.” Rumor mill grist says the ELR may be on par with the Model S in terms of tech and power, so Cadillac's timing could be just right.
Mercedes-Benz was showcasing its 2015 S500 plug-in hybrid at Frankfurt hoping to entice buyers interested in the technology wrapped in a car with a Mercedes-Benz badge along with some of the brand’s other high-tech features. Again, high-end meets the hybrid factor for more performance and better gas mileage.
In addition to its electric and gas powerplant, the BMW i8 will be available with a wide range of BMW ConnectedDrive features including BMW Online Entertainment, a Concierge Services and features like Real Time Traffic Information and mobility services developed specifically for the BMW i series of vehicles. Concierge-type personal service offers, while not new, are getting more popular and have been brought to the forefront by Tesla.

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Frankfurt 2013: BMW X5 eDrive is a sensible counterpart to the flashy i8
BMW X5 eDrive concept rear three quarter

With the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car set to take the stage, it was highly unlikely that anyone was going to pay attention to anything else at BMW’s 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show press conference. Certainly not an SUV.
BMW rolled one out anyway, though, and like the i8, it’s a plug-in hybrid. Meet the Concept X5 eDrive, a less radical approach to green motoring from BMW.
The plug-in X5 hasn’t gotten any prettier since BMW released photos of it a few weeks ago. It’s nearly identical to the gasoline and diesel sport utes in the recently revamped X5 range, with some added blue trim to tie it to the i8 and i3 electric city car.
Under the unassuming skin is a twin-turbocharged four-cylinder engine, an electric motor, and the xDrive all-wheel drive system from a stock X5.
Operating as a hybrid, BMW says the Concept X5 eDrive will do 0 to 62 mph in under seven seconds. With the gasoline engine shut off, it has a range of 19 miles and a top speed of 75 mph. 
That’s just shy of the i8’s 22-mile range, and both vehicles have the same electric-only top speed.
BMW estimates the X5 eDrive’s fuel economy at 74.3 mpg on the European combined cycle.
One question that’s still unanswered is: Will BMW build it? 
Compared to the i3 and i8, the X5 eDrive is decidedly mainstream. That means it would be less risky to produce, but it would also run counter to the “revolution in mobility” BMW says it is trying to promote with the two more radical i vehicles.
So while there’s nothing about this plug-in SUV that would make production impossible, it’s actually seems too normal compared to its stablemates. Talk about being upstaged.

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Frankfurt 2013: 2014 Porsche Panamera Diesel gets a power and speed boost

Do you like the Porsche 918 Spyder? The 887 horsepower, million-dollar plug-in hybrid hypercar? Well here’s something that has nothing in common with it, except a Porsche badge.
Unveiled alongside the production-spec 918 at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show was one of the most unlikely Porsches ever: the 2014 Panamera Diesel.
Yes, it’s a four-door Porsche with a diesel engine that looks like the deformed offspring of a 1990s Ford Taurus and a food processor.
Of course, Porsche has built diesel Panameras (and Cayennes) before, and this second generation 3.0-liter V6 has a few good things going for it. Namely, 300 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, available at an ultra-low 2,500 rpm.
The increase in power is attributed to a new high pressure, water-cooled turbocharger and revised engine internals.
Porsche says the Panamera Diesel will now do 0 to 62 mph in 6.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 161 mph. Those are significant improvements over the 2013 model’s 6.8 second 0 to 62 mph time and 152 mph top speed.
The Panamera Diesel also gets the same visual tweaks and other minor upgrades as the rest of the 2014 Panamera lineup.
No word yet on whether the reinvigorated Panamera Diesel will be sold in the United States, or whether we’ll have to continue making due with the 240 hp Cayenne Diesel.

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