Porsche confirms 918 Spyder successor

Just as it said it would, Porsche has sold all of the 918 examples of its limited-edition 918 Spyder by the end of 2014, with the lion's share going to North America (297) and about 100 going to Germany and China apiece.

Porsche has announced the last 918s were sold last month, confirming Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller's June prediction that all of the left-hand drive supercars would find homes by the end of this year, and that production will remain strictly limited to 918 vehicles to maintain the $1 million-plus model's exclusivity.

Production of the 918 – which can sprint to 100km/h in less than three seconds and consume less than 3.0L/100km — began in March, following a launch around the same time as direct hybrid hypercar rivals from Ferrari and McLaren. Likewise, all 499 examples of LaFerrari sold out immediately and all 375 McLaren P1s were accounted for within a few months.

Porsche has established a waiting list for the 918, in the event that some customers drop out while they wait for delivery. To November this year, Porsche has sold 169,205 vehicles (up 15 per cent on 2013 figures, thanks mostly to demand for the new Macan mid-size SUV) and appears well on track to achieve its 200,000 annual sales goal next year.

Bigger news, however, is confirmation Porsche will produce a successor for the 918.

Speaking with Autocar at last month's Los Angeles motor show, Porsche's research and development chief, Wolfgang Hatz, said the 918's pioneering petrol-electric technology would serve as a blueprint for future models.

“I was always convinced we’d sell out, and what is most satisfying is that the sales have accelerated as reviews confirmed the car is everything we promised it would be,” said Hatz.

“We set out to take a different approach to our rivals, to build a car that was at the extremes of performance and efficiency, and we proved that we could achieve both. Our customers now know that we are ready for whatever the future holds.

“Will we build a successor to the 918? Yes,” Hatz told Autocar. “Not immediately, but not in 20 years' time either. When you build such a car you learn so much, and this business moves so fast that there are always new challenges to meet.

"When you develop such cars you also develop a generation of engineers, and I’m confident that all they have learnt will feed back into the company for many years. We want to keep that momentum, so for sure there will be a successor to the 918 at some point.”