Porsche unveils plug-in hybrid supercar

On the eve of the 2010 Geneva motor show Porsche has taken the motoring world by surprise by unveiling a million-dollar plug-in hybrid supercar that uses less fuel than a Toyota Prius.

The car maker says the 918 Spyder -- the spiritual successor to the 5.7-litre V10 Carrera GT -- can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and lap the famous Nurburgring circuit possibly as low as 7 minutes and 20 seconds, according to Porsche estimates, making it the fastest road car from the Stuttgart maker of all time.

It is powered by a 500 horsepower race-bred 3.4-litre V8 (the same engine that powered the Porsches in the America LeMans series) backed up by three electric motors: a 40kW motor for each front wheel and an 80kW electric motor on the rear axle to assist the V8.

Another neat trick: the 918 Spyder can be driven up to 25km on battery power alone thanks to a 100kg lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged via a power point or while on the move during braking and coasting.

This explains the impressive fuel consumption rating average of just 3.0L/100km, which is 0.9L/100km less than a Prius. But once the potential of the Porsche's V8 engine is exploited this frugal figure goes out the window.

All up the car weighs 1490kg -- about 110kg heavier than the Carrera GT. But the Carrera GT was rear-drive only.

The 918 Spyder is not yet confirmed for production but at the Volkswagen Group preview event, the CEO of Porsche Cars, Michael Macht, said "we have never shown a concept that we've never built".

The 918 Spyder is also a chance for Australia, which missed out on Porsche's last supercar, the Carrera GT -- made between 2004 and 2006 -- because it was left-hand-drive only. Porsche sold 1270 Carrera GTs and wants to eclipse this amount.

"If there's enough demand for the car Porsche will build it," said Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis. "If there's enough demand for the car in right-hand-drive markets, then they'll build it in right-hand-drive too. Porsche wants to sell this car in the UK and Japan. Although those countries allow left-hand-drive cars to be driven on public roads, they are right-hand-drive markets."

If the car was built in right-hand-drive, Porsche Australia "would put our hands up for sure".

The estimated price of the 918 Spyder is 500 thousand Euros, or about $1 million Australian dollars.

Porsche is joining a growing number of car makers who are embracing electric power for their supercars.

Audi has unveiled two fully electric sports cars in the past six months and at the Volkswagen Group preview on the eve of the Geneva motor show, where eight new models were unveiled, the CEO of the company Professor Martin Winterkorn said the fully electric Audi E Tron will be in showrooms in 2012.