On the market right now, for example, is the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid SUV, with an MSRP of $69,000, and later this year the Panamera hybrid sedan will be joining it (with an MSRP of $95,000). Both vehicles offer 380 horsepower with their low-20′s fuel economy numbers.

Today, however, the company began taking orders on a new model: the $845,000, 500 hp 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, which, says the factory in Stuttgard-Zuffenhausen, will be limited to only 918 units once production begins in September.

So, what does a car that costs the equivalent of two-four houses come with? According to Hybrid Cars the features include:

* 500-plus horsepower V8 engine
* Two electric motors with a total of at least 218 horsepower
* Electric-only driving range of more than 16 miles
* Manual roof system with removable panels that can be stored in the front luggage compartment
* Variable all-wheel drive system with independent control of the drive forces on both axles
* Liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack
* Zero to 60 mph in about 3.1 seconds
* Top speed of 199 mph

Fuel economy numbers have not yet been made public.

This car is a performance hybrid with four different driving modes, and a KERS-type overboost feature similar to those found on 2009 Formula 1 cars. Power comes from several different combinations of its 3.4 liter, 500+ HP V-8 engine (based on the engine from the RS Spyder LMP2) and three lithium-ion electric motors (one integrated into the transmission, and two on the front axle), which provide a total of 218 HP. This means that the Porsche 918 Spyder can act as either a series or parallel hybrid, since the car can be propelled solely by the front axle motors, or by the electric motors used in conjunction with the engine. In it’s least consumptive mode, this Porsche offers a positively European 78mpg, while in race mode the top speed approaches 200mph.

While no actual details have been released, it’s likely that this car will be available only in extremely low numbers and extremely high prices. It is set to become Porsche‘s new flagship model – the brand’s opportunity to set the bar for high-performance, dual-source power.

Porsche 918 Spyder concept | Source: Car and Driver

The four-door sports car will retail in Germany for approximately $122,600, but will come to the United States with an asking price of $89,800. When it goes on sale in China in January 2010, however, it’ll take $270,800 to drive one away ($365,900 if you want the turbo version.)

The Panamera will go head to head with the Maserati Quattroporte and the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Porsche hopes to sell 20,000 units a year with nine out of 10 of those customers being first-time Porsche owners.

Speaking at the Shanghai Auto Show, Klaus Berning, the head of sales and marketing for the company said, “Porsche is aiming both at the segment of classic sports coupes, Gran Turismos and the luxury performance range. In economically good times, this means a global market volume to the tune of one million new cars sold each year. And we will now take our piece of this cake.”

The V8 model will debut first, followed later in the year by a V6, and even a hybrid at an unspecified date down the line. The Panamera has a dual-clutch gearbox and a start-stop system with an automatic transmission, which Porsche is touting as a first for a luxury car in this class. Estimated fuel economy is a combined 26.2 miles per gallon.

Most of us can’t afford it. But darn, it’s fun to look.