DiCaprio buys $100,000 hybrid sportscar

8/19/2011

Leonardo DiCaprio has long been a proponent of alternative energy, especially when it comes to automobiles. A few years ago, when many movie stars were purchasing their tenth Ferrari or Lamborghini, DiCaprio instead decided to go with a Toyota Prius. This wasn't a case of a celebrity simply trying to put on a front - DiCaprio was shown driving the car often.

Now, he'll be upgrading to a more powerful, but still eco-friendly model. DiCaprio's choice to go with the Prius inspired auto designed Henry Fisker to get into the world of green luxury cars, reports the Los Angeles Times. Fisker's reasoning was that if stars like DiCaprio were serious enough about green energy to buy Priuses, there would also be a market for high-end hybrid vehicles.

"A couple of years ago it started, by people who were maybe a little ahead of their time. You saw some movie stars like Leonardo DiCaprio buying a Prius," Fisker told Reuters in 2009. "He could have bought any car in the world, and I remember seeing that on television and thinking to myself, you know, when you've got a guy who could buy any Ferrari or Rolls-Royce and he's buying a Prius, you know something is changing dramatically."

Fisker has since designed the Fisker Karma, a $100,000 sportscar hybrid that produces 260 horsepower - a far cry from the Prius' 80. And DiCaprio was one of the first in line to buy the new and exclusive hybrid.

With rare cars like this, it pays to invest in vehicle inspections and tune-ups to keep the car running great.