Infiniti describes it as the “fastest accelerating full hybrid” car currently available on the market, and the nice people from the Guinness Book Of Records have now put that down on paper too, so here is a video issued by the Japanese carmaker that celebrates the accomplishment. We are talking about the M35h which, relying on electric power alone, registered a 0-100 mph (161 km/h) sprint time of 11.54 seconds, covering the quarter mile (402 meters) in 13.41 seconds. Apparently, these figures were enough to rank the M35h at the top of the hybrid world, even better than the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, which is credited with a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 6 seconds flat.

The Infiniti M35h is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 producing 306 hp that, combined with a 68 hp electric motor, provides an output of 364 hp. The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid instead comes with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 delivering 333 hp that, combined with the electric package, produces a total output of 333 hp.

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The Porsche stand at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show houses the new Panamera S Hybrid model. After the success of what was an evolution in the Porsche family, the Panamera is going green and will be Porsche’s next production hybrid model after its Cayenne. It would be easy to be cynical about anti-pollution norms and traditional sports car companies going hybrid, but Porsche is undertaking the process very well and is sacrificing nothing in the meantime.

The sedan experiment has paid off and now we can get the Panamera S Hybrid with 380 hp. Hardly a compromise on a model which consumes just 6.8 l/100 km of fuel. CO2 emissions are down to 159 g/km. Next to the new hybrid, Porsche brought along an ‘ancestor’ in the form of the Semper Vivus from 1900 defined by the company as history’s first full hybrid.

The Porsche stand at Geneva also hosted the Porsche 918 RSR in a European debut for this model, the Cayman R (also a European first), and the new 911 and Boxster S Black Edition models.

Porsche 918 RSR and Panamera hybrid live at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Continue reading: Porsche Panamera S Hybrid live at Geneva

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It makes a lot of sense for Porsche to provide a hybrid variant of its first saloon and in this video we see the
Porsche Panamera S Hybrid before its Geneva show debut next week. The model uses the same hybrid architecture as the Cayenne S Hybrid with a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged engine and an electric motor.

The Panamera S Hybrid is a rear-wheel drive model, but the two engines together produce a total of 380 hp (333 from the petrol engine, 47 from the electric motor). It comes with the eight-speed, Tiptronic S gearbox and will help Porsche in the all-important reduction of emissions across the range. The Panamera hybrid runs off seven litres of fuel per 100 km, for 167 g/km of CO2 emissions.

You wouldn’t expect Porsche to skimp on performance, though, and getting to 100 km/hr takes six seconds. Top speed is 270 km/hr. The hybrid model uses nickel metal hydride batteries located under the boot, and it can travel in all electric mode for up to 2 km. A “sailing” mode, akin to what we would understand by cruising, also uses the battery pack at speeds of no more than 165 km/hr to keep consumption to a minimum.

Autocar rates the CO2 emissions at 159 g/km, saying this makes it the most eco-friendly of the large sports saloons, beating even diesel-powered hybrid models. The performance makes the Panamera S Hybrid faster than a standard version, sitting between the turbo and Panamera 4S models. PASM suspension will also make an appearance. The hybrid model will be available in Europe from June.

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