It's official; Porsche will build a limited series of its radical 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept that made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.
"Reflecting the overwhelming response from the public and customers to the Concept Study, the Supervisory Board gave Porsche's Board of Management the mission to develop a production model based on the car already presented," Porsche said in statement on Wednesday.
Porsche insiders noted earlier this year that in order for the car to be produced, the company needed a minimum of 1,000 orders. A report from Bloomberg in the beginning of July made word of at least 2,000 individuals placing non-binding expressions of interest for the supercar.
"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," said Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG.
"We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base."
The concept version of the mid-engined two-seater 918 Spyder featured a plug-in hybrid drivetrain comprising of a mid-mounted 500HP 3.4 liter V8 gasoline engine, and electric motors located on the front and rear axle with a combined output of 218-horsepower.
The company claims that the hybrid supercar should return 78 mpg US (3 liters / 100km) with CO2 emissions of just 79g/km, hit 100km/h (62mph) in 3.2 seconds, reach a top speed of around 320km/h (198mph) and speed around the 'Ring faster than its predecessor, the Carrera GT.
Porsche didn't say when it will introduce the production version of the 918 Spyder, which is rumored to carry a price tag of around $630,000.
