Porsche

If you've got a little bit of extra cash lying around, jump on this offer. Porsche today announced that dealerships would be taking orders for the 918 Spyder--and the plug-in hybrid super car will sell for a mere $845,000 in the U.S. (that's 645,000 euros).

The 918 Spyder concept made its debut last year at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and was also spotted last year at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The 918 Spyder design was inspired by the 918 Carrera GT super sports car and the 917 and RS Spyder race cars. Like the 2010 concept car, the production version will be made from a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque. However, the production version will have a manual roof system with removable panels that can be stored in the front luggage compartment, Porsche said.

The speedy hybrid will do 0 to 60 mph in about 3.1 seconds, with a top speed of 199 mph. As previously reported, the 918 Spyder will be powered by a unique plug-in hybrid system that includes a high-revving, mid-mounted V8 engine with a capacity of more than 4.0 liters and producing at least 500 horsepower. Two electric motors--one each on the front and rear axles--together produce additional 218 hp.… Read more

Turns out that Porsche made its first hybrid in 1900. This year, it adds its second modern hybrid with the Panamera S Hybrid. Brian Cooley finds it lifts the power train from the Cayenne Hybrid and should deliver miles per gallon in the 30s, which is a substantial improvement.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Geneva auto show)

Not exactly "The Tortoise and the Hare": This Web video shows a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon in a drag race with a Porsche 911 Twin Turbo

The CTS-V Wagon has been given a 650-horsepower Hennessey V650 upgrade and drag radial tires.

The upgrade includes a supercharger pulley and snout upgrade, stainless-steel long tube headers and midpipes, and a high-flow catalytic converter.

The Hennessey wagon offers 658 brake horsepower (bhp) at 6,200 rpm. And despite weighing almost 1,000 pounds more than the 911, the CTS-V Wagon bests the 480-horsepower Porsche.

Check it out for yourself.

There's no real need for a production car to go over 200 mph. Few public roads in the world allow that kind of speed, whether legally or physically. But a few automakers continually push the boundaries of speed, for the same reasons that mountain climbers scale the highest peaks.

The fastest production cars hit well over 200 mph, using big displacement or near-racing engines to achieve these speeds. Of course, all of these cars are ridiculously expensive, but the varieties of design will come as a surprise.

We've assembled photos and specifications for the current crop of fastest … Read more

Porsche just revealed the Panamera S Hybrid, the company's second production hybrid. The new model, which will be shown at the 2011 Geneva auto show, promises to be elegant, sporty, but not hold back on power.

According to the specs Porsche released, the Panamera S Hybrid produces 380 horsepower with fuel consumption of only 6.8 L/100 km on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

The Panamera S Hybrid uses same gasoline engine/electric motor combination as in the Cayenne S Hybrid. A 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine delivering 333 horsepower is supported by a 47-horsepower (34 kW) … Read more

Volkswagen announced today it's bought two Super Bowl ad spots for its 2012 Beetle and Passat, and has partnered with Lucasfilm to promote the Passat.

The two 30-second spots will appear during the second and fourth quarters of Super Bowl XLV, according to VW.

"Accompanied by John Williams' iconic 'The Imperial March,' the [Passat] spot features the most infamous villain in the galaxy, a pint-sized Darth Vader who uses the Force when he discovers the all-new 2012 Passat in the driveway," according to Volkswagen.

The other ad for the 2012 Beetle will notably not show the car, … Read more

Last week, CNET Editor-at-Large Brian Cooley walked us through the more interesting aspects of the Porsche 918 RSR Racing Lab concept at the 2011 Detroit auto show.

Now Porsche has released a video on YouTube of the high-performance hybrid doing laps on a test track. The highly stylized "Torture test" video (after the jump), tortures only the viewer because it's just a mere glimpse of what the RSR can, no doubt, do.

The two-seater, midengine coupe is fitted with 911 GT3 R hybrid technology and the design of the 918 Spyder.

In a press release, Porsche boasts … Read more

CNET Tech Car of the Year for 2010

2011 Nissan Leaf

Earlier this month we invited you to vote for the 2010 Tech Car of the Year from our five nominees. This year proved an upset, though, as our staff judges came down on the side of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, these votes overruling the general support for the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and the Audi A8. The MKZ Hybrid is an excellent car, although its very close relative, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, won last year's award. Audi came out this year with a phenomenal flagship sedan in the new … Read more

So maybe you can't actually buy the pint-sized Volkswagen Gol concept featured last week (and with a top speed of 17 mph, who'd want to?) but what would you say to a half-scale Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, Porsche Speedster, or Jaguar E-Type?

These tiny Pocket Classics roadsters feature working lights, turn signals, horn, and, most importantly, a 110cc gasoline engine with a three-speed automatic transmission. On models that don't come with the optional speed limiter, top speed is 46 mph. Of course, there's no word on how long it would take to reach that speed or how … Read more