Thursday, January 6, 2011

Porsche to unveil 918 Spyder coupe at Detroit show

BERLIN (Bloomberg) -- Porsche SE plans to present a coupe version of its 918 Spyder at the Detroit auto show next week as the sports-car maker returns to the event after four years, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

The two-seater vehicle will be a concept race car with a V8 engine relying on about 600 horsepower, said the people, who asked not to be identified before a Jan. 10 presentation.

The car will be based on the same platform as the 918 Spyder hybrid, a model that soars to 100 km (62 miles) an hour in 3.2 seconds and costs about 500,000 euros ($670,000) in Germany, the people said.



Porsche approved limited production of the 918 Spyder last July. Next week's premiere may not include pricing details as the coupe version isn't a serial model, they said.

Porsche, which is merging with Volkswagen AG, will expand its four model lines with a goal of doubling annual sales to as many as 150,000 vehicles by 2014.

The carmaker agreed in November to develop a compact sport- utility vehicle called Cajun alongside its 911, Boxster, Cayenne and Panamera series.

Porsche declined to comment on its Detroit plans. In a Dec. 27 press release, the company said its Detroit premiere will be broadcast live on www.porsche.com/detroit.

U.S. deliveries increased 21 percent last month to 2,567 cars and SUVs, extending the full-year gain in Porsche's biggest market to 29 percent for a total of 25,320 vehicles, the company said Tuesday.
The carmaker pulled out of Detroit after 2007 to focus its U.S. activities on Los Angeles where it showed the Cayman R mid-engine sports car in November.

The Cayman R, which sells in Europe for 69,830 euros, surges to 100 kilometers per hour in 5 seconds and has a top speed of 282 kilometers per hour. It will reach showrooms in the spring, spokesman Hans-Gerd Bode said Dec. 3.

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