New Hybrid Supercars Stress Performance, Not Mileage

Aside from having four wheels, it’s hard to know what a $30,000 Toyota Camry has in common with a $3 million Ferrari F80. But these market squabbles are examples of an under-the-radar technology revolution. From budget crossovers to HyperCars, every category of indoor-to-back-up car now harnesses hybrid technology.

in “As an EV sales item, hybrids are getting a reboot“I describe the cutting edge of this new hybrid boom: the extended range EVs Like the 2025 RAM 1500 RAMCHARGER, which has a range of over 1000 kilometers.

The world’s leading performance brands are also adopting hybrid EV technology – not just for reduced emissions or enhanced efficiency but because of the instant, highly controllable torque. Electric motors. Hybrid models from BMW, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche are aimed at driving enthusiasts who have been resistant to electric cars.

Sam FioraniVice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting for Autoforecast solutionspredicts that “it is likely that all internal combustion engines will be hybridized in one form or another over the next decade.” Even mainstream electrified models, Fiorani notes, routinely generate acceleration times once limited to exotic machines.

“The performance offered by electric engines cannot be achieved with gas engines alone without impacting emissions,” Fiorani says. “High-end brands will need to make the leap that only an electric powertrain can feasibly provide.”

This jump goes well, as I experienced firsthand during test drives BMW M5and Corvette H Rayand Ferrari 296 GTB. These hybrids outperform their internal-combustion-only equivalents in almost every way. Most of them feature all-wheel drive, along with torque vectoring, energy harvesting, and other engineering tricks possible with the inclusion of electric motors.

2025 BMW M5: Heavyweight hybrid

The BMW M5 Sedan is a literal heavyweight, tipping the scales at a hefty 2,435 kilograms.BMW

the 2025 BMW M5 The sedan adds hybrid power to one of the company’s iconic models. The twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 pairs with a fifth-generation BMW Emotion and a 14.8-kilowatt-hour battery. The M5 can cruise silently on battery power for 69 km (43 miles). The biggest downside is the car’s respectable weight – down to 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) – and poor fuel economy once its electric range is spent. The upside is 527 kW (717 hp) of Teutonic aggression, encountered from Munich to the Black Forest, making Autobahn gallops at speeds of up to 280 km/h (174 mph).

Ferrari 296 GTB and F80: top of the hybrid food chain

Although the Ferrari 296 GTB is a plug-in hybrid, its goal is high performance, not high gas mileage.Ferrari

Ferrari’s Swoopy 296 GTB It’s a plug-in hybrid with a 122 kW electric motor sandwiched between a 3.0-liter V-6 and an F1 robotic gearbox, producing a total of 602 kW (819 hp). The 296 GTB can only cover 25 km on electricity alone, but that may be enough for passing European Low Emission Areaswhere internal combustion cars could eventually be banned.

Of course, the main goal of the 296 GTB is high performance, not high gas mileage. The digital brake system makes the power by wire the shortest Ferrari production car, and the brakes regenerate enough energy that they couldn’t recharge the 7.5 kWh battery in about 10 minutes of driving. Despite its modest V-6 engine, the 296 GTB turns more on Ferrari’s Fiorano test circuit than any V-8 model in the company’s history. The Ferrari weighs 1,467 kg (3,234 lb), which is unusual for a hybrid, which helps sharp handling.

At the top of the hybrid food chain Ferrari’s F80a hypercar inspired by Formula 1 racers. It marries a V-6 with five electric motors—one turbocharged, three for propulsion—for a total of 882 kW (1,200 hp). The two electric motors driving the front wheels allow for independent torque trade. Only 799 F80s will be built, but those numbers don’t capture the cultural impact of harnessing hybrid technology in one of the world’s sportiest cars.

Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid: a first for Porsche

The Porsche 911 now has its first electrified design. New Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid It maintains the classic six-cylinder layout, but adds a 40 kW electric motor, for 391 kW (532 hp). Another 20 kW motor defends a single electric turbocharger, which has a much lower temperature rating than a mechanical turbocharger.

The Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid is the automaker’s first electric car.Porsche

The 911 GTS T-Hybrid’s 400-volt system quickly lags behind the turbo up to 120,000 rpm; Peak Turbo Boost peaks at less than one second, versus more than three seconds before[[<[[<[[<[[<

Corvette E-Ray: An affordable hybrid supercar

The Porsche 911’s main competitor, the Corvette, is coming out with an EV hybrid. the Corvette H Raywhich starts at $108,595, aims to make SuperCar technology more accessible to a broader clientele. The eighth generation Corvette was designed with an aluminum tunnel along the spine to accommodate optional hybrid power. Buy the e-ray version, and this tunnel is stuffed with 80 nickel manganese cobalt style bags. Ultium Battery cells that boost the V-8 engine. The small 1.9 kWh battery pack was designed for rapid charging and discharging: it could spit out 525 amps in short bursts, sending up to 119 kW (160 hp) to an electrified front axle.

Hybrids like the Corvette E-Ray should appeal to carriers who have so far resisted electric cars.Chevrolet

The first-wheeler Corvette in history is the fastest in a straight line, launching a controlled 2.5 seconds to 102 kilometers per hour (60 mph). No matter how hard I pushed the E-Ray in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, I couldn’t knock its battery less than 60 percent full. Press the Charge+ button, and the Corvette uses energy recuperation to fill the battery within 5 to 6 kilometers of driving. The battery and motor combined produce 482 kW (655 hp), yet I got 25 miles per gallon in gentle highway driving, on par with a less powerful Corvette.

Even more than other customers, sports car buyers seem resistant to going EV. Aside from a handful of seven-figure extravaganzas, there are currently no electric two-wheelers for sale anywhere in the world. Tadge Juechter,, The recently retired Corvette executive notes that many enthusiasts relate to the sound and sound of gasoline engines, and shudder at the added weight and crash range of EVs driven at high speed. This resistance does not appear to extend to hybrids.

Juechter says the Corvette E-Ray was designed specifically to meet these purists halfway, and “proves they have nothing to fear from electrification.”