BMW had jaws dropping at the Frankfurt Motor Show with the global debut of the astonishing i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. BMW says the i8 will be the trailblazer for the next generation of sports cars.
The second model from BMW’s ‘i’ sub-brand, the 2+2-seater, like its predecessor, runs a carbon fibre passenger cell and aluminium drive model to keep weight down to just 1490 kgs. In addition, the i8 is the world’s first volume produced car to use light-weight chemically-hardened thin glass and the doors are made from aluminium with the reinforcement of carbon fibre inner skins.
And the gloriously styled body is an aerodynamic masterpiece with a drag Cd of just 0.26.
Under the bonnet, the i8 debuts BMW’s 170kW/230Nm TwinPower Turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine which combines with the plug-in hybrid electric motor to deliver a staggering combined output of 266kW/570Nm. Drive is to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
The BMW i8 covers zero to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds (faster than either the M3 or the M5) yet returns combined cycle fuel consumption of just 2.5l/100kms (better than a Toyota Prius). In ‘eDrive pure electric mode the exotic looking sports car can cover up to 35kms on zero-emission pure-electrid running and offers a combined range of 500kms.
Inside is the usual BMW luxury and technology with a fully digital instrument display, leather-trimmed sports seats, head-up display, rear-view and top-view cameras and Professional navigation with real-time traffic updates. Leather for the seats and dashboard comes from cattle hide sourced from Germany, Austria and Switzerland which is tanned in an environmentally-friendly process using olive leaf extract.
Further, the textiles used in the seat accent strips, door trim, rood liner, body pillar trim, floor covering and mats is made from recycled materials combined with 40 per-cent virgin wool. Even the ignition key case is made from a combination of biopolymer made from castor beams and fiberglass.
