BMW India has officially announced that the highly anticipated i8 will be launched on 18th February 2015 at the event in Mumbai. BMW i8 was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in 2013 followed by Indian auto expo last year and spotted on dealerships in recent times. I8 is first hybrid supercar from German luxury car maker and expected to be placed in niche segment in India. BMW i8 will be launched as a CBU (complete build-up unit) and expect it to cost Rs. 1.5-2 crore (ex-showroom Delhi).
A revolutionary sports car will be powered to 1.5 L 3 cylinder turbocharged petrol motor giving 228bhp power@5700rpm and 320Nm torque@3700rpm, while its electric motor produces 129bhp power@4800rpm and 250Nm torque. These two motors collectively produce 357bhp power. BMW i8 can sprint 0-100 km in just 4.4 seconds with the electrically limited top speed of 250 km/hr.
BMW i8 has four driving modes comfort mode for stable efficiency and performance, Eco pro mode for fuel efficiency, Sport mode for just performance and eDrive mode just for electric driving excluding petrol mill altogether.
In electric mode i8 can run 37km with the top speed of 120 km/hr and BMW claims that 20 km/l fuel efficiency can be achieved under the normal driving condition. BMW i8 is made of carbon fibre with the weight around 1490kg.
BMW i8 certainly looks a futuristic car with coupe like styling and laser beam headlamps. Coming to design and features BMW i8 sports 20 inch alloy wheels, LED tail lamps, BMW’s signature kidney grille, aggressive front-rear bumpers, shark fin antenna etc.
Futuristic design technology continues in the cabin also color changing dials depending upon the driving mode, head up display with all necessary information, 3-spoke steering wheel with contrast stitching, ambient lighting and ‘I’ accents on brake calipers.
BMW i8 will be in limited numbers and it will be the first ‘I’ branded cars from the German car maker followed by smaller ‘i3’ later. BMW is also planning to set up I dealers in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai specifically to retail its hybrid cars.
