We’ve been wondering when the futuristic cars we see in movies and renderings will finally hit the streets. As it turned out, the answer is June 2014, for that is when BMW will release its new i8. And this car really is the future. Not just because of the way it looks, but what it’s capable of.
BMW i8 is a hybrid sports car, mixing the power of a small petrol engine with the torque of an electric motor to strike a good balance between performance and fuel efficiency. It pulls it off, and then some. The car is a meeting point for some truly mind-boggling numbers. You get 360 horsepower combined output, with average fuel consumption of 2. Liters per 100 km (135 mpg imp), and CO2 emissions of just 49 g per kilometer. Simply astonishing.
Despite weighing nearly 1.5 tons, BMW i8 is quite a performer, going from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.4 seconds and 80 to 120 km/h (50 to 75 mph) in 2.6 seconds. The top speed is, as usual, limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). The car also offers a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and a range of 37 kilometres (23 miles) in the zero-emission all-electric mode.
The i8 will also be the first production car to feature BMW laser headlights. These innovative lights are around 30 per cent more energy-efficient than the BMW i8’s standard LED headlights and provide considerably more powerful road illumination, with a range of up to 600 metres. They also give the front-end an even cooler look.
The production of the 2014 BMW i8 will soon begin at the firm’s Leipzig plant. Delivery of the first customer cars will start in June 2014, beginning with the main European markets. Martket-specific details and pricing are yet to be announced.