A 500+ Horsepower. 0-60 in 3.2. 78 MPG?!

Big deal. Porsche is coming out with another immensely sexy 500+ horsepower two-seater supercar. Sure, it can go 0-60 in right around 3 seconds flat. What else is new.

Add in 78 miles to the gallon? Yeah, right.

According to Porsche, this actually is right. While the figure may even blow the minds of those feeling German engineering can never be surpassed on the famed Nurburgring, Porsche engineers beg to differ.

Calling the upcoming beast the Porsche 918 Spyder (clinging to the always original naming of the company), the now Volkswagen-owned German automobile manufacturer poises to attack the hybrid car market and in effect, the world.

“In the future, we will have hybrid drive in every model line," says Development Chief Wolfgang Duerheimer during this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

This accounts for growing pressure from the European Union for all manufacturers to massively reduce carbon emissions and fuel efficiency; over the next ten years, the Union has declared auto companies must cut emissions by at least 40 grams per kilometer.

Porsche, claiming some of the world’s most powerful (fuel-guzzling and polluting) engines in the world, must do something. Its answer? Hybrid technology. Not exactly ground-breaking, but when you look at the 918 Spyder’s 500 horsepower concept combined with another 215 horsepower from two separate electric motors, Porsche looks like a formidable opponent.

The secret to these claimed numbers is as old as the car itself: weight. By shaving as much weight as is technologically possible, Porsche is able to use less engine output to gain more power.

Think about it: it’s far easier to push a grocery cart full of bread than it is one full of beer. Porsche’s thinking is the same: cut the “bad weight,” and focus on the “good.”

 Well, that’s one way to look at it.

Engineering genius then comes into play. Using carbon fiber, the car can boast impressive body strength while saving enormously over the same amount needed in steel or aluminum.

Although the primary engine itself is still a gasaholic V8, Porsche claims that by electronically controlling the accelerator’s use of it alongside the twin electric motors can meet EU carbon standards, quoted fuel consumption, and most importantly, classic Porsche power.

“For the faithful fearing the dilution of a company built on a reputation for racing, fear not,” says Jason Paur of Wired Magazine. “Porsche is experimenting with hybrids, but it isn’t looking to chase Prius market share.”

The cutting-edge technology behind the concept 918 is amazing. Liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries, regenerative braking capable of 40,000+ RPM flywheel battery chargers, and a four-mode power selection all help Porsche to cut every possible speck of lost energy.

Sounds insane, right? Unfortunately, the car has yet to reach production; with an initial price tag of over $600,000, it’s not exactly affordable.

But imagine this: if the Porsche 918 Spyder makes it through the engineering hoops and you manage to snag one, you can feel smug as you like pulling into the coveted front-row “hybrid parking only” space at the grocery store.

When questioned by the angry Prius owner, grin slightly and say, “Don’t worry. It’s a hybrid.”