Porsche has introduced a low-emission hybrid "concept" sports car that is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds.

VW Group surprised the media by unveiling the stunning concept sports car at a multi-brand conference on the eve of the Geneva auto show.

VW chiefs Ferdinand Piech and Martin Winterkorn also kicked off the event by marking the group's recent acquisition of 20 percent of Suzuki. Piech noted that Suzuki has "state-of-the-art" expertise in the small car segment and has "earned his admiration."

The plug-in 918 Spyder model boasts a top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph), with a reduced emission level of just 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer (78 mpg).

All that acceleration comes from the aforementioned V-8 and an electric motor at each end putting down a combined 218 horsepower.

Porsche quotes 500 horsepower for the car that includes the engine and motors combined. The engine was pulled from the RS Spyder race-car parts bin and reworked for the 918.
Power from the engine and the rear motor hits the street through a seven-speed PDK gearbox.

The front motor turns the front wheels through a fixed ratio. Fluid for the motors is stored in a lithium-ion battery mounted behind the passenger seats.

The big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that the battery can be charged on the regular electrical network.

In addition, the car's kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy fed into the battery when applying the brakes, thus providing additional energy for fast and dynamic acceleration.