Porsche going Al Gore

[xxxalexxxx]

well i don't know about Porsche never going green, they probably wont in the next few yrs but in the next 50 yrs they probably will. electric cars are becoming more popular (not so much in the US yet) but I went to Ireland/England last yr and every other car is a hybrid.
electric cars can be good sports cars, my brother bought a Tesla when it came out, well it just got dilivered to him recently and its an amazing car, its FAST, handles great and its pretty comfy :-) the only downside i see with it is its about 100k ( but i guess most sports cars are expensive) and you have to plug it in to charge it. I think it takes an hr to charge the battery to be able to drive about 100miles.
point is electric cars can be great sports cars its just that most of us are very closed minded..maybe because when we think hybrid we dont think Tesla Motors, we think about the pirus or something else slow and ugly.

[rick3000]

^ They can be great except for the classic engine sound, and manual transmission.

I would like to see what happens, perhaps Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, and other hi-end sports car companies will lobby for exemption, from the green laws because they make up such a small percentage of the auto industry.

[racer_d]

Originally Posted by rick3000

^ They can be great except for the classic engine sound, and manual transmission.

I would like to see what happens, perhaps Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, and other hi-end sports car companies will lobby for exemption, from the green laws because they make up such a small percentage of the auto industry.

1) Ferrari is owned by Fiat.
2) Lotus is owned, iirc, by Proton, an Indonesian conglomerate
3) Porsche has a controlling interest of VW which DOES make Porsche a major automanufacturer

So none of these companies is, exactly, a "cottage" industry.

It will be interesting to see how/when/if Porsche lobbies the EU for any concessions. Right now, concessions are looking slim.

Porsche says they won't build diesels (which would be perfect for the Cayenne and Panamera) which then leaves them with "hybrids" to clean up their act, so to speak.

In europe, the big deal is your "carbon footprint" (as opposed to Fuel consumption).. that is a big problem for 400-500hp 6/8/10 cylinder motors to reduce.

Sure it will be tough times. Those who remember the 1970s recall how you went from 400hp Muscle cars one year to 150hp "muscle cars" the next. Their will always be changes.

* Full electric isn't the answer either.. how will you generate the electicity? nuclear, coal, natural gas? wind? solar? somewhere, somehow, you have to build that infrastructure to support "pluggin in" 20 million cars.

[squeak]

Originally Posted by xxxalexxxx

I went to Ireland/England last yr and every other car is a hybrid

Where did you go in Ireland/England?? I'm from the UK originally, (Scotland) go back there at least twice a year...can't say I have seen THAT many hybrid's on the road...I've seen more over here in the states to be honest. The biggest difference in the UK when it comes to cars, is "normal joe's" look for an economical car, due to the high prices for petrol/gas.

Gord.