BMW i8

BMW is a big name in automobile manufacturing market with a habit of introducing the world with some of the unique, advanced and innovative machines of the century. BMW's 'Project'is completely dedicated for the production of this kind of machinery. By the end of 2013, International market will see their first product, i3. Also, in Frankfurt Motor Show 2009, BMW showcased firstly its hybrid concept car, i8 which at that time was introduced as 'BMW Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics'and it will be mass produced in Leipzig. Now recently, at Frankfurt Motor Show 2013, BMW displayed the production version of i8 which was launched in India on 18th Feb, 2015 with a steep price tag of INR 2.29 crore. The production version was designed by Benoit Jacob. It also won the 2012 North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Award in July 2011.

Exterior

The exterior of BMW i8 gives a sporty, aerodynamic, innovative, advanced and stylish look with a flat and unique double-kidney front grille, a sporty V-shaped 'black belt' starts on the bonnet and wraps around the body shell to the rear in a dynamic way, bright and powerful LED headlights with widely spaced low-beam and high-beam LED lighting elements, an optional high beam headlights with laser light technology which includes a BMW i U-shaped frame to operate running lights and built-in indicators, a second 3-D wide light frame which surrounds the innovative laser light unit with a passively lit blue band signal and all around the headlights have a bright metallic side cover, stylish body colored bumper with air shovel, aerodynamic side profile with extended wedge shape, long drawn-out lines and the flat silhouette, the active air control vents in front, power ORVMs with side turn indicators, perfectly blending sporty scissor doors which swung upwards when opened, standard 20-inch aluminium alloy wheels or optional 20-inch carbon fibre-reinforced plastic wheels which are lighter, front windscreen and windows with ordinary glass while the rear windscreen having made of lighter, stronger, sound-proof and chemically hardened glass that smartphone screens are made from, tinted glass and bright and illuminating tail lamp cluster. This ravishing coupe has a length of 4689mm, width of 1942mm and height of 1298mm as its dimensions and has a large wheelbase of 2800mm for a stable ride. It also has an un-laden weight of 1490kgs.

Interior

The interior of BMW i8 also gives a sporty, luxurious, elegant and comfortable look with visible carbon elements in door sill, central console aligned towards driver, a digital instrument panel with two large displays, some instruments and signs, perfectly placed iDrive Controller on the central console to optically bisect the vehicle, use of leather materials like 'Halo', 'Carpo'and 'Neso' , three modes of driving mainly at the touch of eDrive button named 'COMFORT', 'ECO PRO mode' and 'SPORT', parking sensors and cameras, pedestrian recognition with automatic braking, automatic wipers with rain sensors, can call emergency services in case its accelerometer detects a crash, a ChargeNow card that can be used to pay for electricity, familiar dashboard, steering wheel, gear shift knob and center LCD as we had seen in some advanced BMW machines, a powerful AC, power windows and many other features to give you an unforgettable and comfortable ride with an amazing experience.

Engine and Gearbox

BMW i8 has an electric motor in its front axle with a maximum power of 129 bhp and a maximum torque of 250 Nm. Its rear axle has a 1499cc, 1.5L, 3-cylinder, turbocharged gasoline engine with a maximum power of 228 bhp at 5800 rpm and a maximum torque of 320 Nm at 3700 rpm and has a six speed automatic gearbox transmission. These both wheels combines together to give a maximum power of 357 bhp and a maximum torque of 570 Nm.It also has a 7.2kWh Li-Ion battery pack to give an all-electric range of 35kms while its maximum total range exceeds 500kms. All four wheels are able to provide with regenerative braking. It gives the top speed of 120kmph in all-electric mode and an almost 260kmph speed on combined effort while reaches 0-100 kmph mark in 4.4 seconds. It uses 2.5L/100km fuel and emits 59gm/km CO2 emissions. The ordinary plug socket will take almost 3 hours to charge its battery while BMW also provides its customers with and a Wallbox to charge it almost 80% in just 2 hours. It has the lowest center of gravity and retains a perfect 50:50 front:rear weight distribution. It also has a Dynamic Damper Control to help its performance.

Shades and Price

BMW i8 has all the usual safety features along with some new and advanced ones. It is expected to be available in six shades which includes Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect with Highlight BMW i Blue, Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect with Highlight Frozen Grey, Ionic Silver with Highlight BMW i Blue, Protonic Blue with Highlight Frozen Grey Metallic, Crystal White Pearl Effect with Highlight BMW i Blue and Crystal White Pearl Effect with Highlight Frozen Grey Metallic. The expected ex-showroom, Delhi price of this luxurious and classy coupe is INR 1.50 crores which may vary.

Verdict

Overall, BMW i8 is a perfect blend of new age technology, advanced engineering, great innovation, futuristic style and design and a huge performance scale with a long way to go ahead as it will just start the advent of hybrid technology in a new fashion.

BMW i8 – The Most Progressive Sports Car