| Driving a car and saving the planet aren't two | | | | Honda has given the design study a Glacier White |
| activities that comfortably go hand-in-hand. | | | | body colour to illustrate its clean environmental |
| When noises about a switch to eco-motoring were | | | | credentials. |
| first made, the future for ultra-quick, gas-guzzling | | | | Green technology is also used in the body |
| supercars looked bleak, but car makers have taken | | | | construction, with exterior panels formed from |
| up the challenge and are in the process of proving | | | | plant-derived bio-plastics. |
| that powerful cars can also be climate friendly. Start | | | | Honda says there are no plans for the concept to go |
| saving now and you could soon be the owner of a | | | | into production yet. At the moment they are simply |
| gorgeously green mean machine. | | | | exploring what could happen in years to come. |
| Honda unveiled its zero-emissions fuel cell supercar | | | | And they're not the only ones. |
| concept, the FC Sport, at last year's Los Angeles | | | | The bandwagon |
| Auto Show. It's a glimpse at how supercars of the | | | | Porsche has famously few eco credentials, but that |
| future might look. | | | | could all be about to change. |
| Beautifully designed, the three-seater car is also | | | | In response to calls for environmentally-friendly |
| hydrogen-powered and uses Honda's fuel cell | | | | vehicles, Porsche will introduce the new Panamera, a |
| technology. This removes the need for bulky | | | | four-door, four-seater grand touring sports car. |
| components like an internal combustion engine and | | | | When it goes on sale this summer, it will become the |
| gearbox. | | | | fourth Porsche model series joining the 911, Boxster |
| The lightweight FC Sport has both zero emissions | | | | and Cayman sports cars and the four-wheel drive |
| and supercar performance levels, achieved by | | | | Cayenne. |
| employing a powerful electric motor and giving the | | | | It will feature a choice of six and eight-cylinder petrol |
| concept an ultra-low centre of gravity. | | | | engines, which range in power from 300 to 500bhp. |
| Honda says its futuristic, fast car was "inspired by, | | | | The batteries will be in the rear of the car with the |
| and built for, people who love sports cars", adding | | | | electric motor and other drive hardware in a module |
| that it explores how to satisfy performance | | | | between the petrol engine and gearbox. This allows |
| enthusiasts in a world beyond petrol and diesel | | | | the Panamera Hybrid to run via the electric motor |
| engines. | | | | alone, purely petrol power or a combination of the |
| "This concept is a great example of how the | | | | two. |
| development of fuel cells could revolutionise car | | | | Porsche will reveal full pricing details when the first |
| design," says John Kingston, environment manager of | | | | models are officially unveiled in February. |
| Honda UK. | | | | The Panamera will be built at the Porsche plant in |
| "The fuel cell stack is smaller than the average power | | | | Leipzig, Germany, and the painted bodyshells will be |
| plant and, without the restrictions of having to | | | | supplied by Volkswagen's Plant in Hanover. The firm |
| accommodate a big engine and transmission, | | | | hopes to sell around 20,000 Panameras a year. |
| designers are free to explore much more radical | | | | And if that wasn't enough, from February 2009, |
| styling directions to reflect the performance of the | | | | Porsche will sell the Cayenne with a diesel engine and |
| car." | | | | automatic gearbox as standard, which will cost from |
| Honda has distributed the majority of the FC Sport's | | | | £40,250. |
| drive components low down between the axles, | | | | With innovations such as these, slick supercars could |
| creating the balanced weight distribution that top | | | | have an environmentally-friendly future. |
| supercars need. | | | | But cars like this don't come cheap. So, before you |
| The interior focuses on the driver, with a race | | | | start saving the planet, make sure you're saving |
| car-like centre driving position, with two rear | | | | pennies by choosing the right car insurance policy. |
| passenger seats flanking the driver's seat. | | | | |