Porsche Will Debut New Hybrid Next Month @ Geneva Auto Show

Porsche will likely unveil a hybrid version of its Panamera four-door sedan at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show next month, with possible plans to start selling the car in the U.S. later this year.

The Panamera already has a brake energy recuperation system as standard.

Porsche started making a hybrid version of its Cayenne SUV available in the U.S. late last year. That car, with pairs a V-6 with an electric motor, can drive solely on electric power at speeds up to 37 miles per hour and gets an EPA-rated 21 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, compared with an 18 MPG rating for the convention Cayenne S.

Bigger steps towards Porsche's electrification are likely to follow the two hybrid models, as the European Union has given Porsche five years to cut its CO2 emissions by about 15%. Porsche will produce its first electrically-powered sports car, the 918 Spyder, in three to four years.

Last October, new Porsche Chairman Matthias Mueller told reporters at the 2010 Paris Auto Show that the German automaker is testing a plug-in electric concept version of the Panamera sedan, though it has no plans to show the car publicly. The company will also field-test three electric-powered Boxsters starting next year, Porsche said in July.

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