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Porsche completes production of 918 Spyder

Porsche is closing another chapter in its history as production of the 918 Spyder has officially come to an end. The only remaining question is: what comes next? The 918 was the latest in a long line of flagship supercars from the German automaker, starting with the 904 Carrera GTS, continuing on through the 959, 911 GT1, and Carrera GT. Each was a technological game-changer for Porsche, just as the 918 Spyder will surely be remembered. With the hybrid roadster now zipping off into the annals of history, all eyes will be fixed on Zuffenhausen to see what it does next. And though it may not be much to go on, we've already begun seeing some hints at what that could be. Last week Porsche released a solitary teaser image showing its next-generation sports car, covered and parked alongside the Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid LMP1. Just what's under the cover, Porsche isn't saying, and didn't respond to our repeated inquiries for comment. However the signs point towards a mid-engined supercar – not unlikely to pack a hybrid powertain once again – positioned closer to the likes of McLaren 650S and Ferrari 488 GTB than the outgoing 918 Spyder, which faced off against the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari. If that turns out to be the direction Porsche takes with its upcoming new supercar, as has long been anticipated, it would hardly be unprovoked. McLaren recently launched the 570S as part of its new Sport Series to take on the Porsche 911 Turbo, and Ferrari is once again rumored to be pursuing the same with a new Dino. While the specifics may remain cloudy for the time being, what is crystal clear is that things are about to get very interesting in the battle between Porsche and its rivals. Related Video: Porsche super sports car with hybrid drive reaches its limited edition volume of 918 units Porsche finishes production of the 918 Spyder technology pioneer Stuttgart. Today, the chequered flag marked the finish: after 21 months of production time, the final Porsche 918 Spyder came off the line in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen according to schedule. But the legacy of this technology pioneer will reach far beyond its production time. Future generations of sports cars will benefit directly from innovations of the 918 Spyder. The 918 Spyder was systematically developed to be a performance hybrid with plug-in technology. The hybrid super sports concept car made its debut at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show where it met with overwhelming approval.

Cars selling highest above MSRP and lowest below MSRP

Automakers have returned to offering incentives and promoting new vehicles after a few years of tight inventory and elevated prices. Despite that, prices are still higher than they should be, as a new iSeeCars study found that the average new car is priced above MSRP, though they’re slightly less painful than they were a year ago. iSeeCars found that the average new car price has been marked up to 7.2 percent above MSRP, down from 8.9 percent a year ago. Interestingly, the five most overpriced cars came from two premium brands, while four of the five priced the lowest below MSRP were EVs. New cars selling highest above MSRP Mini Hardtop: 25.5% above MSRP Porsche Taycan Sedan: 23.1% Porsche Cayenne: 21.9% Porsche Macan: 21.3% Porsche Taycan Wagon: 20.9% Cadillac CT5-V: 20% Porsche 718 Boxster: 19.9% Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid: 19.4% BMW X3 M: 19.4% Cadillac CT4-V: 19.3% Porsche, Mini, and Genesis were the three most overpriced brands overall, with Buick, Acura, and Infiniti landing as the lowest-priced brands. Electric vehicles dominated the list of the 10 most-discounted vehicles: New cars selling lowest below MSRP Hyundai Kona Electric: -4.6% VW ID.4: -3.6% Ford F-150 Hybrid: -3.3% Kia EV6: -2.5% Hyundai Ioniq 6: -2.4% Nissan Maxima: -2.2% Chrysler Pacifica PHEV: -2% Nissan Ariya: -1.9% Hyundai Ioniq 5: -1.9% VW Arteon: -1.8% Those numbers align with what we saw in the market last year, as EV sales grew, but far slower than many had hoped. iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer said. (For a sense of that, you can look back at our coverage of most marked-up cars and most discounted cars from 2023.) “The market appears to have reached a saturation point for electric vehicles," Brauer said, "with both prices and sales struggling compared to a year ago. The high cost of full-size trucks and SUVs, along with the cost of fueling them in the face of inflation and reduced consumer spending power, has dampened demand for these notoriously pricey vehicles.”

Porsche working on turbo V12 for Putin limo project?

Porsche is best known for building very well-regarded sports cars and better-selling utility vehicles. Come to the company with a big enough bag of cash, though, and the Porsche Engineering division can create just about anything. The group's past projects include working with Harley-Davidson, Mercedes-Benz and corporate cousin Audi, but if rumors prove true, then its latest partner might be the last one you'd expect.
Russian website Wroom reports that Porsche Engineering is building the engine for the Project Cortege government limousine project for Russian president Vladimir Putin. The mill is supposedly a turbocharged V12 displacing between 6.0- and 6.6-liters and making around 800 horsepower. When complete, it will reportedly be built by ZMZ with Russian-sourced parts.
The limo is expected to debut in 2017, according to Wroom, but it's just the beginning of Putin's grandiose plans, which also goes by the name of the Motorcade Project. The same platform is also meant to underpin several vehicles for use by the government, including an SUV, a small bus and a sedan. All of them would reportedly have a longitudinally mounted engine and all-wheel drive.