Porsche 918 Spyder in demand with 900 potential customers, production considered

Porsche is reporting that is has more than 900 potential customers for the upcoming 918 Spyder hybrid.

The two-seater 918 Spyder hybrid was unveiled at the Geneva auto show last month and is an entirely new model for Porsche, which is aiming to expand its sales volume to around 150,000 units a year by developing new products.

The hybrid drivetrain on the 918 Spyder features a V8 with 368 kW (500 PS / 493 hp) coupled to three electric motors totaling 160 kW (218 PS / 215 hp). Doing the math on that gets you 528 kW (718 PS / 708 hp). The 0 to 100 km/h sprint comes in at 3.2 seconds and top speed is 320 km/h (198 mph).

Even more impressive are the consumption and emissions numbers - the 918 Spyder hybrid, Porsche claims, will have a remarkable fuel economy rating of 3 liters/100 km (78.4 mpg-US) and a CO2 emission rate of only 70 g/km.

"I'm confident that we will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 [potential customers]. We need 1,000 seriously interested people to make a sound business case," said Wolfgang Duerheimer, head of development at Porsche, in an interview at the Beijing auto show on Saturday.

The 918 Spyder hybrid is due to make its production-ready debut sometime in the next five years.