Porsche Debuts Three Advanced Hybrid Technologies

March 2, 2010

Models include a sports car concept, a new race car and the company's first production hybrid

At the Geneva Auto Show, Porsche revealed three new advanced hybrid vehicles that include a high-performance super sports car concept, a revolutionary new race car and Porsche's first production hybrid, the new Cayenne S Hybrid.

Porsche's CEO Michael Macht took the wraps off of the the 918 Spyder -- a mid-engine super sports car concept that employs plug-in hybrid technology to achieve approximately 78 mpg while also providing the raw power needed to propel it from a standing start to 100km/h (62 miles per hour) in under 3.2 seconds.

Macht also revealed another hybrid technology developed especially for racing -- the 911 GT3 R Hybrid 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, shown in Geneva for the first time along with the family of all-new Cayennes, is Porsche's first production hybrid and goes on sale in the United States this fall. The Cayenne S Hybrid features a full parallel hybrid system that combines the power of a 333-horsepower V6 with an 47-horsepower electric motor; thereby offering 380 horsepower and essentially the high performance of a V8 with the fuel efficiency of a V6.

About the Author

Jill Jusko

Bio: Jill Jusko is executive editor for IndustryWeek. She has been writing about manufacturing operations leadership for more than 20 years. Her coverage spotlights companies that are in pursuit of world-class results in quality, productivity, cost and other benchmarks by implementing the latest continuous improvement and lean/Six-Sigma strategies. Jill also coordinates IndustryWeek’s Best Plants Awards Program, which annually salutes the leading manufacturing facilities in North America.

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