Photo: Automedia
Production of BMW’s halo car is scheduled to officially begin round the middle of 2013 at the famous Leipzig plant, with deliveries coming the next year.
We already know from the concept/prototype version of the i8 that it will be a plug-in hybrid that still performs like a sportscar, but we have fresh details of the production car’s powertrain, thanks to British publication CAR Magazine.
Powering the i8 will be a system that actually sounds interesting. The front wheels will be motivated by an electric motor developing the equivalent of 170 hp, while the back will be pushed by a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder. If that engine was in a Kia or a Mitsubishi, it would have produced 100 hp, but seeing as this is a Bavarian halo car, it’s actually got 223 bhp.
The plug-in hybrid supercar will be able to run as a front-wheel drive pure EV, a RWD sportscar or an all-wheel drive model. Can you imagine how complicated the electronics must be?
The i8 will use carbon fiber reinforced plastic to save weight wherever possible, and as a result the 2+2 coupe will only weigh 1450 kilos (3,197 pounds), which is about 100 less than an M3 coupe (the current E92). We mentioned the M3 for a very good reason, because the i8’s 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.9 seconds is only 0.1 seconds slower than an M3. But our favorite V8 drift machine is nowhere near being able of doing 104.2 mph like the i8 will.
BMW expects to sell 10,000 a year, which is impressive considering there are very few sportscar that cost over €100,000 ($132,000 at the current rate) and sell that many units.
Powering the i8 will be a system that actually sounds interesting. The front wheels will be motivated by an electric motor developing the equivalent of 170 hp, while the back will be pushed by a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder. If that engine was in a Kia or a Mitsubishi, it would have produced 100 hp, but seeing as this is a Bavarian halo car, it’s actually got 223 bhp.
The plug-in hybrid supercar will be able to run as a front-wheel drive pure EV, a RWD sportscar or an all-wheel drive model. Can you imagine how complicated the electronics must be?
The i8 will use carbon fiber reinforced plastic to save weight wherever possible, and as a result the 2+2 coupe will only weigh 1450 kilos (3,197 pounds), which is about 100 less than an M3 coupe (the current E92). We mentioned the M3 for a very good reason, because the i8’s 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.9 seconds is only 0.1 seconds slower than an M3. But our favorite V8 drift machine is nowhere near being able of doing 104.2 mph like the i8 will.
BMW expects to sell 10,000 a year, which is impressive considering there are very few sportscar that cost over €100,000 ($132,000 at the current rate) and sell that many units.
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