Nothing Apple showed today can lap a track at high speed, help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, or cause an entire street full of people to turn their heads and gawk. Here are four new cars more impressive and any silly new iPhone.
This isn't a diss, of course. More people reading this will probably buy an iPhone than will spend a quarter of a million dollars (or more) on a new Porsche. But this is a new world of hybrids that have broken the traditional green car boundaries to become fast, alluring, and efficient.
BMW i8: 95 MPG, Concept Car Looks
The BMW i8 is like a Chevy Volt you want. This electric car looks like a concept car, but this is a production concept car you can buy.
By pairing a small turbocharged three-cylinder engine with 231 horsepower to an electric motor that powers the front wheels, the combined AWD system has 362 horsepower and will toss the sleek coupe around a track with ease.
Everything about the car is light, including the Gorilla Glass windows and futuristic interior.
Jaguar C-X17: A Crossover You'd Want
Technically, the Jaguar C-X17 is a "concept." Don't believe it. This is what it will look like.
The first Jaguar "SUV" ever is not really an SUV but a crossover, designed to handle as well as a sports sedan while carrying an entire family. It's one of the most attractive big CUVs we've seen in ages.
Porsche 918 Spyder: 94 MPG, 186 MPH
Take a quick look at the Porsche 918 Spyder and all you'll see is another exotic über car with a big, loud, wasteful engine. Just look at them build it, it's glorious.
What you'd miss is this is actually a plug-in hybrid that can launch itself to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, run on pure electric power, and just became the fastest production car to lap Germany's famous Nürburgring all while turning out Prius-level efficiency. How does it work?
The 918 uses an onboard 7 kw/h lithium-ion battery that powers three electric motors mated to a 608-horsepower V8. This allows the car to run pure electric or a hybrid combination regulated either for around-town calm driving or pure speed.
Porsche also uses a ton of lightweight materials to keep the weight well below that of a typical hybrid at right around 3,600 pounds.
Audi Nunuk Quattro Concept — 30 MPG, Diesel Off-Roader
The Audi Nunuk Quattro Concept will not become a reality, sadly, because we love the idea of an offroading Audi R8 with a diesel engine.
Still, that 5.0-liter Audi V10 turbodiesel is a reality and shows just how much you can get out of diesel power. While it has only 544 horsepower, this engine puts out 737 lb-ft of torque, which is enough power to pull a Boeing 737.
The numbers show this brute will do 0-to-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and a 190 mph top speed while still returning 30.16 MPG. That's a future I can believe in.
Photos: Jalopnik, Newspress, Getty Images