NEWS
918 hypercar will sell out, says Porsche R&D boss
German road rocket might lack the pizzaz of the LaFerrari and McLaren P1, but German carmaker is confident it will sell outPorsche’s 918 Spyder may not have generated the same sort of hype as the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari, but the company’s R&D boss Wolfgang Hatz was quoted by UK’s Autocar as saying it will sell out once customers have had the chance to drive it.
“We have a lot of customers interested in it, but the car is expensive, and that high price point means that many of them want to drive it before they spend their money,” Hatz told the British magazine.
“When the first cars are ready, and the customers can drive them, I am confident we will sell them all. Already we have sold more 918s than we had at the same point in the launch process with the Carrera GT, so we are confident.”
The hybrid hypercar launches this September (around the same time as its Maranello and Woking rivals), with European pricing starting at 768,026 euros, enabling it to comfortably undercut the Ferrari and McLaren.
However, adding the Weissach Package takes the price to 839,426 euros, and ticking a few other option boxes could easily escalate the price to over the one-million euro mark. For example, coating the car in foil instead of paint adds 11,900 euros, magnesium wheels cost 29,750 euros and a six-point-harness adds a staggering 2975 euros.
Other options include a liquid metal paint for 47,600 euro, a lift system for the front axle for 8925 euros, special German leather trim for 23,800 euro and a five-piece set of luggage for 17,731 euros.
Porsche aims to sell 918 units of the hypercar, which is obviously a significantly higher build number than the P1 (375 units) and LaFerrari (499 units).
Getting back to the car itself, Porsche claims the 653kW V8 hybrid is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in 3.2sec and hitting a v-max of 320km/h-plus (although final specifications haven’t as yet been announced).
The 918 has a more pronounced enviro focus than its British and Italian rivals, as its lithium-ion batteries can also be charged from a domestic socket, and the car can drive at high speeds on electric power alone.
Hatz told Autocar the experimental nature of the 918 at the present time means he could not sanction anyone from outside the company to drive one until the firm builds the first pre-production cars.
As for comparisons with the LaFerrari and P1, Hatz said it was more or less a case of apples and oranges.
“The Porsche 918 is so different,” he said. “A car with more technology on than the 918 you cannot buy. At present, nobody outside our R&D group has experienced a supersports car with more electric power. It drives fast in electric mode, has good range and you can use the electric system to boost the car. This is something unique, and really quite special.”
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Share this article
Written byGautam Sharma
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Related articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
Contact
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Download the carsales app
