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A COUPLE buying an electric car so they can drive into Barcelona's emissions-free zone to do their shopping would not normally be newsworthy, even when it's a €102,000 Porsche – unless the couple in question were a world-famous pop-rock singer-songwriter and a premier league footballer.
Shakira and her other half, Gerard Piqué, have just bought a gigantic SUV worth as much as a modest apartment in Spain's second-largest city – and at five metres in length (16'3”) with a 460-litre-capacity boot, they will have plenty of space to stock up the freezer for a month even if their two little boys insist on bringing half their toy-box with them on the journey.
The Cayenne e-Hybrid Coupé, recently bought from the dealership Driver Cars Barcelona, has a 'zero emissions' sticker, which means Shakira and Piqué can use it anywhere in their home city.
For the 'basic' model of this 462cv Porsche family saloon, the average straight-off-the-forecourt price starts at €101,800 – and compared with the type of motor mere mortals would choose when changing their regular run-around, it is far from 'basic' in terms of its equipment and quality, which are said to be exceptional.
At the other end of the range, the Cayenne Turbo S e-Hybrid Coupé starts at €184,000, and its 680 horse-power system means it can get from nought to 100 kilometres per hour in just 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 295 kilometres per hour (183mph).
Given that the maximum speed limit anywhere in Spain is 120 kilometres per hour (75mph)– on the motorways, except where lower limits are signposted – it is unlikely the FC Barcelona defender, 34, and his Colombian-Lebanese partner, 44, will ever be able to put their new wheels to the test at the extreme end of its capacity.
But they will, at least, be able to get around the city centre easily with their sons Milan, eight and Sasha, six, and will only need to recharge the electrically-powered engine in full every 40 kilometres.
It is likely the main reason for their choice of vehicle was its zero emissions, since the centre of Piqué's native city, where the couple has lived together for over seven years, has recently banned all bar low- and no-emissions cars, bikes, vans and lorries from entering, other than exceptions such as emergency transport, limited-hours deliveries, residents' vehicles, buses and taxis, in a bid to slash air-pollution levels.
After all, the Piqué-Mebarak family is not short of cars when they need to travel around anywhere else – Gerard already owns a sizeable collection of classic and sports models including Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, Maserati and Aston Martin.
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