Porsche is not a company that produces concept cars very often. Come to think of it, only the Porsche Boxster and Carrera GT spring to mind as concept cars that the German sports car manufacturers has displayed within the past twenty years. That's not to say that Porsche can't pull out a nice concept whenever it wants to -- and today, the company has done just that.

Porsche unveiled its new 918 Spyder concept that not only brings sleek styling to the table, but also a wealth of high-tech powertrain goodness. Looking somewhat like a gorgeous mashup up of a Ferrari F430, Porsche Carrera GT, Porsche Boxster, and Porsche 911 GT1, the 918 Spyder concept features a mid-engine layout, seating for two people, and all-wheel drive.

The roadster also features dual side-exiting exhaust pipes on either side of the vehicle along with a nod to the past with an intriguing "disk" wheel design.

Being that this is a Porsche first and foremost, this vehicle is all about performance. Gone is the flat-6 that powers the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman (along with the rear-engined 911) and in its place is a high-revving (9,200 rpm) V8 engine producing 500 hp. As if that wasn't enough, there are also two electric motors installed in the vehicle (one for the front axle, one for the rear axle). The electric motors add another 218 hp to the mix.

Porsche isn't spoiling the fun by using a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the 918 Spyder -- instead, the company is using a version of its seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual-clutch transmission which transmits power to the rear wheels. The front wheels are driven by a fixated ratio transmission.

Porsche says that the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder can bolt to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and can travel 16 miles on battery power alone. The 3,285-pound vehicle is said to deliver an estimated 78 mpg (U.S.) according to Porsche.

No one knows if all of this performance goodness will ever make its way into a production vehicle, but one can hope that at least the styling cues and maybe a toned down version of the hybrid system could make it into a production vehicle.

Porsche is also readying a hybrid version of its second generation Cayenne SUV. The hybrid powertrain is said to achieve 34.5 mpg on the European cycle.