After re-drawing the landscape of what a hybrid performance car can be at this year's Geneva Motor Show, the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept was already under consideration for production by the Beijing Auto Show. Today, it officially got the nod from Porsche's board. It will be built.
Porsche had put a 1,000-buyer threshold on the decision to build the 918 Spyder. By late April, the number signed up to buy one, should it be built, was over 900. It now looks like the 1,000-mark has been cleared, as Porsche president and chairman Michael Macht said in a release today, "Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen."
No time line has been given for when the car will be ready for the road, but we'd expect it to be at least a two-year lead-up to the first production models. Just in case you've forgotten how awesome the 918 Spyder Concept is: it's a 500-horsepower, 78-mpg, 9,200-rpm 3.4-liter V-8 hybrid all-wheel-drive sports car capable of 3.2-second 0-60 mph, 198 mph top speed, 16-mile all-electric range, and looks to stop traffic cold.
For more on the 918 Spyder, check out our previous coverage.
[Porsche]
