The Porsche 918 Spyder is nothing more than a cool "what-if" concept, but that hasn't kept almost 900 people from lining up to buy one of the hybrid supercars.
Porsche unveiled the low-slug 918 Spyder to much acclaim last month at the Geneva auto show and in the weeks since has hinted that it will build the car. Although there's no firm commitment to produce the sexy all-wheel-drive roadster, Wolfgang Duerheimer, Porsche's development chief, says the company probably will make a decision if and when 1,000 potential customers show an interest in buying one.
"I'm confident that we will soon reach the threshold of 1,000," he said at the Beijing auto show, according to Bloomberg. "We need 1,000 seriously interested people to make a sound business case."
Duerheimer said almost 900 people have stepped forward as prospective customers. It's hard to imagine the company won't get at least 1,000 hand-raisers. After all, we're talking about a car with a 500-horsepower V8 and a pair of electric motors good for another 281 ponies. The gas-electric drivetrain is good for a claimed 78 mpg. It seems there is tremendous support for the project within the company, which wants to double annual sales to as many as 150,000 vehicles in the mid-term.
“There is no one inside Porsche who doesn’t want to build the 918," Porsche boss Michael Macht told Autocar last month. "The response has been marvelous; we will ask buyers to sign letters of intent.”
Still no word on the price, but you know it won't be cheap. For a rundown on the car's technology, click here.
Photo: Porsche
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