BMW Supercar News 2014: BMW has confirmed that its i8 hybrid will be even faster and even more fuel efficient. According to Auto Express, i8's design is futuristic with the wide, low-slung proportions and elegant floating C-pillars, cut-out bonnet and delicate, flowing rear lights that would be manufacturing achievements on a one-off concept, let alone a mass-production car. The ultramodern look is a visual representation of the cutting-edge technology that underpins this car.
In addition, Yahoo also reported that, when the first European deliveries commence, two months later, owners who have specified the car as a plug-in hybrid will be getting a two-door carbon fiber and aluminium coupé capable of going from 0-100kph (62mph) in just 4.4 seconds yet offers a combined cycle fuel consumption of just 2.1 liters/100kph (that's 134.5 mpg), meaning CO2 emissions of 49g/km.
Quoted from Indian Cars Bikes, the BMW i8 is powered by a brand new three-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. From a meagre 1.5 litre petrol power plant, the i8 manages a maximum power output of 231 hp and a maximum torque figure of 320 Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox. 231 hp isn't super-car level of course, so the petrol engine is then supplemented by an electric motor with an output of 131 hp and maximum torque of 250 Nm. The power from this lithium-ion high-voltage battery is channelled through the front wheels via a two-stage automatic transmission
It means that the car can be powered solely by either engine or that both can work together to boost acceleration and horsepower. It also means that around town the car can be powered uniquely by the zero-emission electric engine for a distance of 37km (23 miles) and can still offer a top speed of 120kph (75mph) as explained by Yahoo News.
BMW has also been putting the car through a host of real life performance tests i.e. its economy when stuck in traffic jams, when crawling along congested city streets and, because this is a German car, when pushed hard on the speed-limitless Autobahn.
Using these situations as a benchmark, the car returns between 5-8 liters/100km (56-35mpg), making it 50% more efficient than a petrol engine sportscar capable of the same acceleration and 155mph (250kph) electronically limited top speed. So in other words, its own M4 high-performance executive coupé.
Yahoo News added that other performance car makers, most notably McLaren, Porsche and Ferrari, are all using a similar approach to bring speed and environmental credentials to their latest flagship cars, but what sets the BMW apart is that rather than using a big engine supported by an electric motor, the company has chosen to up performance by shedding as much weight as possible (it weighs just 1,485kg) and by creating a car with the best drag coefficient possible -- 0.26 -- while ensuring it's still big and long enough to seat four, rather than two, the supercar norm.
