Acid green seat belts? Anything (kind of) goes on the Porsche 918 Spyder configurator

By Nick Jaynes Published September 25, 2013

porsche unveils the 918 spyder online configurator — The Porsche 918 Spyder online configurator will allow you to choose 'acid green' accents on a red interior. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Would you have the seat belts accented with ‘acid green’ or with ‘orange?’

That’s the dilemma facing prospective Porsche 918 Spyder buyers this morning as they paw through the online configurator that recently went live on Porsche’s website.

Recommended Videos

The Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar might cost you a cool $845,000, but for that price you get 887 horsepower, 85 mpg, 0-62 mph time in 2.8 seconds, and the 11 different exterior paint colors to choose from.

Dig into the options and you’ll find that Porsche offers a series of disparate optional extras in one concise list, including a cup holder, sport seats with firmer padding, and a fire extinguisher – to name a few.

Interior colors include black with acid green accents, black with gray accents, and burgundy with gray accents. We thought a red interior was illegal in Stuttgart. Go figure.

Regardless of interior trim color; the 918 Spyder will lap the Nurburgring in a hugely impressive six minutes and 57 seconds.

What options did we choose? We went for the Sapphire Metallic Blue with the red interior with orange accents on the seatbelts and floor mats and the Platinum Silk Gloss wheels. We also checked the box for a cup holder and a fire extinguisher.

Look through the configurator yourself and tell us how you’d spec your Porsche 918 Spyder in the comment section below.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.