New hybrid Ferrari may be luxury option for green-minded car buyers

This year's Geneva Motor Show has featured many advances in green motoring technology, but despite all of the electric cars on display, it was the new hybrid model from Ferrari that stood out.

The first look at what could soon be a luxury favourite for car buyers looking to cut back on their carbon without sacrificing their super cars, the Ferrari 599 hybrid is seen by many as a positive step for the automobile industry. Given that brands like Ferrari are associated so heavily with excess and a devil-may-care attitude, this supposition certainly carries some weight.

Despite the odd choice of a sickly green paint scheme, the 599 mode is one of the most impressive new vehicles to come from the prestige manufacturer. The two-seater vehicle uses technology from Ferrari's Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to recover energy lost during braking and decelerating, converting it to about 650 volts in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery. This system has been incorporated into the 599 two-seater hybrid model's name: HY-KERS.

This extra energy gives the vehicle an additional 100 horsepower, supplementing the six-litre V12 petrol engine's acceleration and helping to run the engine's air conditioning and power steering at the same time. Although currently in the experimental phase, the Daily Telegraph reports that the HY-KERS could be in production within the next five years.

Ferrari engineer Favaretto Fabrizio says that thanks to the technology, the HY-KERS is capable of improving the 15.8mpg fuel consumption and reducing the 415g/km CO2 emissions by up to a third. Given that in order to meet CO2 reduction targets, governments have proposed setting punitive green taxes on high performance vehicles, the near future may see current owners saying "I need to sell my Ferrari and get the new HY-KERS!"

Kate Peck, Salisbury, Vauxhall Astra VXR

Alison Pepler, Kent, Ford Focus ST3