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For eight years now, Porsche has maintained a level of popularity unrivaled by other luxury sports car manufacturers. In the United States, they’ve been the carmaker with the most appeal to its customers. These are the results of the recent APEAL survey for 2012 conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. APEAL is short for the “Automotive, Performance, Execution, and Layout."

Not only did Porsche finish as the number one brand, according to J.D. Power, its 911 and Cayenne models also won the hearts of the voters, and received awards in their specific segments: The 911 was chosen as the best Premium Sporty Car and Cayenne won top honors as the best Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV. The scoring covers a range of 10 different aspects of a vehicle, including comfort, dynamic performance, design, and its suitability for everyday driving.

The votes were taken from about 75,000 owners who had first registered their vehicles between November 2011 and February 2012, and were recorded by the U.S. market researchers.

Learn more about the APEAL Study at jdpower.com.

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The plug-in hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder supercar is undergoing the next phase of testing in Atlanta and the automaker has leaked these photos of the futuristic car, draped in nostalgic Porsche 917 racing livery, out on the twisties.

Porsche expects to begin building production 918 Spyders in September 2013, delivering the first examples to owners a few months later. But in the meantime, they continue to tweak and perfect the inner workings of a highly complicated advancement in automotive technology.

With power from a 4.6-liter mid-mounted V8, plus a hybrid module at the rear and an electric motor on the front axle, the 918 Spyder is expected to produce a combined 770 horsepower. At the same time, Porsche has disclosed fuel consumption at just three liters per 100 kilometers, which works out to more than 78.3 mpg. All this in a car that can run 15 miles on pure electricity and reach 200 mph with a 0-60 mph time under three seconds.

It goes without saying that perfecting the system is no simple task. Engineers are now turning their attention to the way that the two electric motors work together with the dry-sump V8.

“They are therefore a critical component in this vehicle into which we have put all of our expertise and capacity for innovation,” said Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche head of Research and Development and Volkswagen head of Engines and Transmissions Development, in a press release.

The 918 Spyder looks to have kept the same design since we saw it last, with a rear fascia reminiscent of the Porsche GT1 racer and an overall shape nodding back to the Porsche Carrera GT. Exhaust pipes breach the surface above the mid-mounted V8 and a deployable rear wing stands at attention.

But the rear beauty is hidden underneath all the bodywork. Porsche is making no secret of the fact that they plan to transfer hybrid and plug-in knowledge learned from this project over to other production models in the future. How long before we see a plug-in Panamera, or Cayenne? Or (gasp!) 911 Carrera?