The Greening of Luxury Cars Will Cost You Lots of Green
Most anyone who loves technology has heard of Tesla Motors by now. The Silicon Valley based electric vehicle manufacturer, known for its Roadster that goes 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds while spouting no tailpipe emissions, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to auto manufacturers large and small who are looking to produce expensive green rides.
Take Rolls Royce, for example. It unveiled at the recent Geneva Auto Show an electric prototype version called the 102EX Phantom Experimental Electric that replaces the regular 6.75-litre V12 petrol engine with two electric motors. The auto maker currently plans to test market this vehicle with its exclusive owner base to see if an interest exists for uber-luxury green cars.
Stepping down just a little from Rolls Royce - and seen more as a true competitor to Tesla Motors - is Fisker Automotive and its Karma plug-in hybrid. Pricing at nearly $100,000 before tax rebates, the Karma finally entered production recently after a lengthy delay that may cause it to lose market share to the likes of Tesla and BMW.
Speaking of BMW, the self proclaimed "ultimate driving machine" car company certainly isn't staying on the sidelines of the green car luxury game. It has actually rolled out an entire brand around its strategy in this area called the BMW i. Two vehicles are set to debut - the i3 and i8 - and both will have some form of green engine technology under the hood.
Also of note in the green luxury car space is Porsche, with its parallel full hybrid Panamera S, hitting 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds and with a 167 MPH top speed. Again, in keeping with the high pricing theme, expect this one to retail for around $95,000 when it comes to your local Porsche dealership.
Green does apparently equal lots of green when it comes to luxury eco cars.
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