Top Hybrid Sports Cars for 2011

The typical sports car is thought of as a flashy and fast vehicle with a ridiculously poor fuel mileage rating. You can blend your love of stylish cars with your concern over gasoline use by buying one of the top hybrid sports cars in the 2011 model year.

Pros of Hybrid Sports Cars

The burgeoning market for hybrid sports cars is attractive to well-funded collectors and drivers. These consumers are the primary targets for traditional and hybrid automakers around the world. Given these overlapping interests, the cost barrier is not nearly as large for sports car collectors as regular drivers. Sports car collectors may not balk at paying $80,000 to $100,000 for hybrid sports cars. The disparity of a few thousand dollars between a standard and hybrid Toyota Camry can be limiting to a middle-class driver.

The production and concept versions of hybrid sports cars reveal the intersection of style and fuel efficiency. Automakers like Fisker Automotive© and BMW© want to keep traditional sports car styling in place to please a consumer’s eyes. Beneath the hood, prospective customers will notice only a few differences between traditional and hybrid sports cars. These differences include bigger battery systems, smaller engines and fewer components. The underlying purpose of creating a hybrid sports car is to clean up this niche of the auto industry. Sports cars tend to be gas guzzling coupes that are designed for speed instead of fuel efficiency. Hybrid automakers are trying to prove that these two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

Cons of Hybrid Sports Cars

Sports car collectors around the world may approach hybrid sports cars with skepticism. This skepticism comes from the perception that hybrid drive systems necessitate decreased performance. Skeptics believe that hybrid sports cars will not have the same top speeds, 0-60 times and other metrics as their favorite models. In some senses, these perceptions are accurate though they do not take in the whole picture on hybrid cars. Hybrid sports cars may not burst out the gate like a Ferrari© or Corvette® but they aren’t designed for this purpose. These vehicles are designed to balance ample power with fuel efficiency.

The traditional sports car collector is also concerned about limits on repairs and upgrades. Collectors may feel that they cannot perform battery replacements and drive repairs without assistance from specialized mechanics. Automakers like Fisker© are working to resolve this issue by certifying independent mechanics for hybrid vehicle repairs. Avid car collectors may not like the lack of aftermarket parts and components for hybrid sports cars. As vehicles like the 2010 Fisker Karma® become more commonplace, an active aftermarket industry will develop to meet demand.

2010 Fisker Karma®

The leading sports car hybrid on the market in the next year is the Fisker Karma®. This model put out by green vehicle producer Fisker Automotive© currently has this market niche to itself. The automaker notes that it produces about 15,000 units per year though the $80,000 price tag leaves plenty of Karmas® in storage. The reason why the Fisker Karma® is popular among sports car enthusiasts is that it approximates performance by traditional cars.

This four-door hybrid sports car is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Fisker Automotive© has designed the Karma® with regenerative braking to recoup energy lost during sudden stops. The plug-in Q Drive system allows drivers to recharge their batteries using household outlets. The Karma® can travel at speeds up to 125 miles per hour, which is sufficient for most drivers. Karma® drivers can hit 60 miles per hour from a dead stop in about six seconds. The Q Drive System allows drivers to travel up to 50 miles per day on all-electric power.

Toyota© FT-HS Sports Concept

Beyond the Fisker Karma®, the market for hybrid sports cars in 2011 is limited. This lone entry in this market niche will be joined soon by vehicle concepts like the Toyota© FT-HS. This updated take on the Toyota Supra® first premiered at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in 2007. Toyota© is currently using components from the FT-HS for future hybrids at research facilities like Calty Design Research in California. The FT-HS is still firmly entrenched in the concept phase but it represents the future of Toyota© high-performance vehicles.

The Toyota© FT-HS is a four-seat coupe with two backseats that are better for cargo than passengers. The FT-HS driver can let the sunshine in using a retractable roof. Toyota© used sleek exterior details to make the FT-HS look futuristic. The hybrid drive system in this sports car concept is capable of reaching 60 miles per hour from a full stop in four seconds. At the 2007 NAIAS, Toyota© estimated that the FT-HS would retail somewhere in the $30,000 range if it reached the market. Given Toyota’s© success with the Prius® and other models, the FT-HS looks like a solid template for a sports car hybrid in the next few years.

BMW© Sports Hybrid Concept

The future of hybrid sports cars may look like the BMW© sports hybrid concept slate for release in 2013. The automaker states that this hybrid sports car could be produced starting in 2012 with annual quotas of 10,000 units. The BMW© sports hybrid concept features a 356-horsepower diesel engine that would be marketed to European consumers. A production version of this concept would likely feature four seats though the rear seats would be tight quarters. BMW© included gull wing doors in its sketches and concept version to push the car well into the future.

The projected performance of the BWM© sports hybrid concept would put the vehicle at the top of the market. The 10.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motor allow 30 miles of all-electric travel. BMW© projects that this model could hit 60 miles per hour from a dead stop in less than five seconds. The biggest benefit of the BMW© sports hybrid concept would be exceptional fuel mileage. BMW© notes that the current design would facilitate fuel economy ratings up to 63 miles per gallon. This plug-in hybrid sports car could give the Toyota Prius® and other current models when it hits the market.