Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yes, I WOULD drive a hybrid.

You hear it right. I DID say I would drive a hybrid. I was NOT kidding. Of course, there IS a catch. The hybrid I would pick is a Porsche 918. Here is a photo of the Porsche 924 I owned when I was an attorney, and the model I would pick now. Oh, there is the matter of cost... Porsche 918 hybrid: Order now for $845,000
The Porsche 918 hybrid is a plug-in vehicle with a V8 engine and two electric motors. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Porsche is now taking orders for the German carmaker's first publicly available hybrid sports car, the 918 Spyder. Unveiled as a concept car one year ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid car powered by a 500-horsepower V8 gasoline engine and two electric motors -- one each in the front and rear axles -- that will produce at least 218 horsepower more, Porsche promises. The car's top speed will be 199 miles per hour, Porsche claims, and it will be capable of zero-to-60 acceleration in just 3.1 seconds. The 918 Spyder will also be able to drive under electric power at speeds up to 94 miles per hour, at least for "limited distances." While official fuel economy figures are not yet available, Porsche anticipates the 918 Spyder will get about 78 miles per gallon. A two-seat convertible, the 918 Spyder will have removable roof panels that can be stored in the car's front-end luggage compartment. Only 918 of the cars will be produced at a base price of $845,000 each. While Porsche dealers are taking orders now, production won't start until September, 2013. Exotic cars for eco-millionaires There will also be a less-expensive, gas-only car designed to look like the 918 Spyder, going into production later this year. But it will only be made available to customers who have already ordered the 918 Spyder, in effect, to tide them over during the 918's long lead time. That car, dubbed the 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder, will have styling cues taken from the 918 Spyder hybrid, including carbon fiber pieces inside and out and "acid green" accents in various places such as the brake calipers. It will cost a relatively paltry $160,000 for the hard-top version and $172,000 for the convertible. Porsche currently has two other hybrid models, the Cayenne Hybrid SUV, currently on sale, and the Panamera Hybrid four-door hatchback, entering production soon. Porsche also has a hybrid race car competing in LeMans endurance races.

1 comment:

Harry Wise said...

Hi Richard,
My response concerning Hybrids is based on the fact that I owned a Toyota Pruis for about 2 years. Living here in Colorado Springs I found that because of the hills and mountains that my gas mileage was not near as good as they advertised. We need robust vehicles that can handle the higher altitude and tougher driving conditions because of the hills and mountains that we drive in. Liberals in flat parts of the country don't understand this and think that everyone should be driving electric cars etc. The question that I have for liberals is this: Will someone please explain to me why it is that when George W Bush was President and the price for a gallon of gas topped $4.00 that the mainstream media blamed and crucified him for this? However, now that gas prices are hitting $5.00 per gallon in some areas and are projected to go much higher the mainstream media tells us that there is nothing that the President can do about this and that we should not blame him for this. My question for the President is this, when you took office did you support drilling in Anwar Alaska? (No) Did you allow for more drilling in the gulf of Mexico? (No) Or did you put a moratorium on drilling because of the BP oil spill? (yes) Did you deregulate and grant more permits to drill on Federal land? (No) Did you approve the keystone pipeline? (No) Did you approve for new oil exploration off the continental shelf? (No) Did you increase EPA regulations that made it harder for oil companies to operate? (Yes) So with all of these anti-fossil fuel policies set forth by this administration how can this President possibly be blameless for the price of gas going up? Someone please answer me this.
Thanks
Harry Wise (Colorado Springs)