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Porsche says it's working on alternative-powered sports car
Speaking publicly for the first time at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Porsche's new president and CEO, Michael Macht, revealed that Porsche is considering and working hard on an electric-powered sports car that would meet the high demands of the Porsche brand.
"I am also convinced that one day Porsche will have an electric sports car in its line-up," said Macht at the company's press conference on September 15. While he cautioned that so far the available battery technology is not "sufficient to meet Porsche's strict requirements," he said "our engineers are already working hard on this challenge."
"An electric sports car would therefore only make sense for Porsche if it offers performance and a cruising range similar to that of current sports cars in the market," he said. "We are therefore taking the first step in this direction with a full hybrid – in the Cayenne, the Panamera and maybe in the not too distant future also in a racing car or a production 911. Why not?"
Macht pointed out that Porsche has a long legacy with hybrid technology as it was exactly 109 years ago that Professor Ferdinand Porsche built the first fully functioning car with hybrid technology.
Speaking about Porsche's newest model, Macht said the new Panamera Gran Turismo is already generating thousands of orders just three days after its market launch in Europe.
The highly anticipated Panamera represents Porsche's fourth model line and is the brand's first-ever four-door sports car. It goes on sale in the U.S. on October 17, 2009.
"Although the car has only been at the dealership for three days, we already have 4,500 orders for the Panamera, most of them from customers who have not even seen the car yet," he said Macht. "And since test drives for customers have only just started, sales of the Panamera are already making a very positive start."
Another highlight of the press conference at Frankfurt was Porsche's presentation of its new 2010 911 Turbo, the flagship of the venerable 911 range.
"The 911 Turbo is the spearhead in innovation throughout Porsche's complete range of sports cars. It has been successful in the market for 35 years, accounting throughout this period for almost 80,000 units sold worldwide," said Macht
Premiering alongside the venerable Turbo will be a series of asphalt-burning 911s, including the 911 GT3 RS, and its race ready sibling the 911 GT3 Cup car.
Porsche also took the wraps off its limited-edition 911 Sport Classic at the Frankfurt show, marking a return to the tradition of occasionally issuing ultra-exclusive production cars. The Sport Classic will not be offered in the U.S. Production will be strictly limited to 250 units.
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