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Porsche nearing 900 orders for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept

When Porsche AG showed the 918 Spyder at the Geneva show in March, we said it was a car to “make anyone a believer in hybrid supercar tech.” Well, maybe not anyone, but Porsche now says it has almost 900 potential buyers for the two-seater hybrid prototype as the German automaker gets closer to approving production. Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said he is confident the company will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 orders, which is how many the company needs to “make a sound business case.” The 918 has 680 hp and, according to Porsche, will get 78 mpg and run from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Porsche said it wants to double its overall vehicle sales to 150,000 in the next five years or so.

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing – new pictures

New teaser pictures of the upcoming Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing But time moves on and it won’t be long before we get the full reveal at Frankfurt, so Mercedes is out playing at more tease, and has issued the pictures you see here. And we get a few more details. Auto Motor Und Sport has been talking to SLS designer Hartmut Sinkwitz – who was responisble for the Smart (sublime to the ridiculous springs to mind) – who says that although it is important to pay homage to the Gullwing Mercedes of the ’50s – the inspiration for the new Mercedes SLS – it was vital that the SLS should be a modern car in every respect.

Toyota Auris Hybrid emissions cut to 84g/km

We’ve long believed that car makers better serve their customers by offering ‘Green’ options as add-ons to regular car models, and adding the hybrid option from the Prius to the Auris has seen Auris sales climb steeply whilst Prius sales drop off. There’s only so many buyers who want to shout their green halo from the rooftops, so incorporating green technologies in the regular range opens up far more possibilities for a sale. Now, with the Auris Hybrid sales growing by 69 per cent year on year in the UK, Toyota has had a play to make the Auris Hybrid even more efficient.