It’s finally happening!
BMW India is all set to launch its hybrid sports car – the i8 in India this February 18th. The snappy and stylish looking sports vehicle is one of a kind and attracts a fair amount of attention due to its killer looks.
The car was unveiled to Indian consumers in 2014 at the Auto Expo held in New Delhi.
The BMW i8, first introduced in 2009 as a part of BMW’s patented ‘Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics’, is a plug-in hybrid sports car that runs on petrol. The 2015 model of the BMW i8 supports a 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is certified by the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
You must be wondering where you saw this car in a movie of some kind?
You sure did!
The whole world got saved by this very car in Tom Cruise’s epic movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. This very car helps our hero from reaching the villains location in time to stop him from nuking the entire world! The car was in a testing phase at that time, but now it’s finally going to be launched in India. You would love to own this car now won’t you? Acting like Tom Cruise, saving the world! But hold on! It comes with a hefty price tag which might figure close to the 1.5 to 2crores ex-showroom ballpark figure.
The car will be launched as a CBU (Completely Built-up) single unit. It has two engines under the hood, a 131 horsepower electric motor in conjunction with a BMW patented Twin-Power Turbo 1.5litre three-cylinder petrol running engine belting out close to 231 horsepower; together they dole out about 362 horsepower which is a whopping number!
BMW i8 Hybrid interior
It goes from 0 to 60 in just 4.4 seconds! It handles just like a supercar thanks to its sports mode. It sounds a lot like a drag racer even though it is in reality a hybrid. On battery power, the i8 achieves top speed of up to 120 km/h and can traverse about 35Kms. The battery powered engine and petrol engine combined propel the car at close to 250Kms per hour.
Most of the body employs heavy usage of carbon fibre for added safety and ruggedness for which it weighs in at only 3,274 pounds that is still 200 pounds lighter than a Porsche 911. The paint job is simply mesmerizing! It looks like a sexy fighter plane on four blue-rimmed wheels with a matte black coating all over to accentuate its streamlined edges. The wheels are adorned by custom made HRE-P101 rims, veiled in a “Frozen Blue” that compliments the blue outer trimmings on the i8’s gritty grille.
BMW i8 Hybrid interior
It is a revolutionary design by BMW which has been turned into a production car from a futuristic concept. It would be interesting to see India’s response to this one of a kind car, since India is still very new to the concept of hybrid and electric charged cars at the moment.The company is planning to set up select special ‘i-Dealers’ in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai for retailing its hybrid cars to interested customers.
BMW i8 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine:3-cylinder turbo Twin-Power, direct fuel injection, 1499 cc (rear), electric motor (front)
Power: 362 brake horsepower combined power – 231 brake horsepower@ 5700 rpm (petrol engine) + 131 bhp@4800 rpm (electric)
Torque: 320 Nm@3700 rpm
Transmission: All wheels
Gearbox: Automatic, double-clutch, 6-speed
Top speed: 250kmh (e-controlled), 120 km/h (e-Drive mode on battery)
0-100 km/h: 4.4seconds
Average fuel consumption: 2,1lts/100 km
CO2 emissions: 49gr/km
KerbWeight: 1485kg
Length/width/height: 4689/1942/1293mm
Luggage: 154liters boot space
Let us wait for this dream machine with a baited breath!
BMW i8 Hybrid Release Date is February 14 2015.
