Porsche celebrates millionth Facebook fan with special 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Facebook Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche is celebrating a unique social media milestone with a custom 911 GT3 R Hybrid. The company recently surpassed 1 million fans on Facebook, and to mark the occasion, designers have churned out the hybrid 911 racer with the signatures of over 27,000 Porsche fans. The vehicle is set to be on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart for all to see.

The German automaker says that it chose the 911 GT3 R Hybrid for the Facebook celebration because Porsche believes that the car is the future of racing. The machine packs 480 horsepower from a 4.0-liter flat six-cylinder engine and two electric motors capable of 80 horsepower each. Unlike most hybrids, Porsche has opted to store the vehicle's energy in a flywheel accumulator that gets a boost during braking instead of a traditional battery pack. The technology recently proved itself as competition-capable during last year's 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
[Source: Porsche] 

Report: Detroit's RoboCop statue now fully funded

Despite a lack of local political support, Detroit's citizens are a big step closer to getting a RoboCop statue. According to Autoblog sister site City's Best, Motown's RoboCop statue is now fully funded thanks to a massive $25,000 donation from a mom-and-pop organization by the name of Omni Consumer Products. The company sells movie products that are brought off of the silver screen and straight to life, and it borrows its name from the evil corporation in the RoboCop world. How's that for fitting?

The OCP donation officially put the statue's fund into the green, which means that work should kick off on the project sometime soon. The despite what seems to be a massive tide of support, the statue isn't without its detractors, though.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has made it clear that he's against the idea of erecting a tribute to the movie icon, and previous efforts to do the same have ultimately petered out. But with someone now ready to foot the bill for the statue, it seems more likely than ever that the post-apocalyptic law enforcement figure will soon be a new city landmark.

[Source: CitysBest | Image: Orion Pictures]

Rumormill: GMC Acadia's future uncertain

2011 GMC Acadia Denali - Click above for high-res image gallery

Word on the web is that the GMC Acadia is back on the chopping block. You may recall that the big crossover found itself in dire straits once before when the entire GMC brand underwent a strategic review during the General Motors bankruptcy proceedings. After that brush with death, the decisionmakers at the company decided to give the entire brand – and by association, the Acadia – a stay of execution. Now a new report suggests that the next-generation Acadia may be scrapped to reduce product overlap within the GM dealer network.

General Motors currently produces three Lambda-based crossovers – the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia – and the company says that it wants to keep overlap to a minimum for its Buick-GMC dealers. The next-generation Lambdas are expected in 2014 as 2015 models, but even if the Acadia gets axed, it's likely that GM will still keep a trio of models based off of the three-row platform, only with Cadillac getting the third model instead of GMC. Thanks for the tip, Ed!
[Source: GMInsideNews] 

Infiniti Etherea Concept bows ahead of Geneva debut

Infiniti has released the first few images of its new Etherea entry-level concept that's set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The automaker says that the Etherea's design "blends elements of coupe, sedan, hatchback and even crossover in one highly sculptural, near-mono volume form," though we find the end result to be a bit awkward from some angles.

There's plenty of throwback to the company's showstopping Essence concept in the Etherea's visuals, notably the wavy C-pillar design. At only 173.2 inches long, the concept is about four inches longer than a Nissan Versa hatchback, and because of this, many of the styling cues – specifically the headlamps and that rearmost pillar – seem like they would be more at home on a much larger car. Still, we'll withold judgment until we see the car in person on March 1 live in Geneva.

[Source: Infiniti]

2011 Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 prototype spotted on the road

Here's a set of spy shots of the 2011 Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 doing some cold weather testing.

Our spy photographers have managed to get both a shot of that new HYbrid4 badge as well as an interior shot of the hybrid system button with various drive settings.

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 is expected to launch later this year and will be the first full-on diesel-hybrid vehicle in the marketplace. The HYbrid4 set-up features a 2.0 liter HDi diesel engine with 163 PS (120 kW / 161 bhp) and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque powering the front wheels working in unison with a 27 kW electric motor which provides 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) of constant torque mounted on the rear axle driving the back wheels for an effective all-wheel drive system.

That electric motor gets its current from the nickel metal hydride batteries fitted under the trunk and can produce up to 200 Nm (148 lb-ft) of torque. Total output for the 3008 Hybrid4 is 200 PS (147 kW / 197 bhp) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque.

Fuel-economy for the 3008 Hybrid4 will be a spare 3.8 liters/100 km (74.3 mpg imp) and CO2 emissions will come in at 99 g/km.

Porsche to debut mystery hybrid model in Geneva

Porsche has announced plans to introduce a new hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show.

While the company is staying mum on specifics, the model will likely be the Panamera Hybrid. It is expected to use the same powertrain as the Cayenne S Hybrid, which means we can expect a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 333 hp (249 kW / 337 PS) as well as an electric motor that develops 47 hp (34 kW / 48 PS). This will likely give the car a combined output of 380 hp (283 kW / 385 PS) and 428 lb-ft (580 Nm) of torque.

More importantly, the Panamera Hybrid will be able to run on electricity alone and have an average fuel consumption of less than 9 L/100km (26.1 mpg US). If that doesn't impress you, the electric motor and gasoline engine can work together to provide additional power under hard acceleration.

The car will be unveiled on March 1st, alongside the Boxster S and 911 Black Editions.
Source: Porsche

Porsche Boxster E prototype triplets unleashed

Porsche already has the hottest hybrid on the planet with its Porsche 918 Spyder, but what about a little something that forgoes gasoline altogether? Now, it has that, too three. The iconic German automaker has just unveiled the first of the trio of the Boxster E's we had heard about last summer.

The prototype uses 240 electron-powered ponies from motors attached to front and rear axles to give it all-wheel-drive sure-footedness and the ability to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. It packs a 29-kWh battery pack, which should give a solid 100 miles of low-CO2 uber-mobility per charge. All of its electro-tech is said to be sourced from its Volkswagen parent.

Porsche will trial the triplets over the coming months in the Stuttgart region where they wil serve as "rolling laboratories." No plans for a retail version have been mentioned, though it remains an eventual possibility considering CEO Matthias Müller's statement at the Porsche museum ceremony that electric mobility is the company's central challenge. Check out the official (translated) press release after the break.

[Source: Porsche, Bild / The Local via All Cars Electric]