At the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show BMW i sub brand will unveil production versions of its long awaited models, the i3 and the i8. The i3 is an interesting little electric city car with range extender. And the i8, well, that is supposed to be “the most progressive sports car of our time,” according to BMW.

They have just confirmed the specs and details of the i8, and things are looking very good on paper. The BMW eDrive technology in the i8 promises excellent levels of performance on the par with the best of conventional sports car, and fuel economy and emissions akin to that of a small hybrid city car.

The powertrain in the i8 consists of a compact, turbocharged 1.5-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine, and an electric drive system with a lithium-ion battery. The gasoline engine powers the rear wheels with 231 hp (170 kW), while the electric unit is connected to the front wheels, where it deposits 131 hp (96 kW) – combined maximum power and torque of 362 hp (266 kW) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm).

As a result, 0 to 100 km/h in this car takes 4.5 seconds, average fuel economy is 2.5 liter/100 km (95 US mpg), and CO2 emission 59 grams per kilometer. There is also a pure electric mode in which you can drive for 22 miles with a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h). Top speed in hybrid mode is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).

The performance is more than satisfying. But achieving it has not been easy. The clever powertrain is only part of what makes the i8 capable of accomplishing such feat. The car boasts a sophisticated architecture called BMW i LifeDrive. It consists of a CRFP body mounted of top of an aluminum chassis that incorporates all the modules that deal with the job of driving. It results in a very low center of gravity and a near-perfect 50:50 axle load ratio.

The extraordinary BMW i8 will be launched in 2014.