While history's shown what happens when Belgium contest something with Germany, a Belgian automaker wants to give Porsche some competition among luxury cars by building one as a plug-in hybrid, the Dutch treat of automotive technology.
The Imperia GT is set to go on sale next year, for a European-only price of about $100,000. Power comes from a comb pack of a 210-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder, tied to a 136-hp electric motor and battery unit, good for what the company says is a 6-second 0-60 time in electric mode or a 4-second time in hybrid mode.
Imperia claims the retro-styled GT should get better fuel economy than a Smart ForTwo, but given the struggles of companies trying to manage the weight of their battery systems, we'll raise an Orval if this ever hits the road. (Or just because it's Thursday.)