BMW I8 Deliveries to Begin in June
BMW’s new plug-in hybrid sports car will begin arriving in dealerships this June, a little less than a year after it initially debuted in Frankfurt.
The planned June rollout is specific to Europe. Before that happens, BMW is also planning to host public promotional events in “various regions all over the world.” BMW representatives with demonstration vehicles will appear at the events to offer people a chance to see the i8 in person before it reaches dealerships.
Series production of the cars headed for dealers will begin in April. Today, the company said it has further improved the i8 since its Frankfurt debut by reducing its emissions to 49 grams of C02 per kilometer compared to the 59 gram figure announced at its unveiling. The previous 0-62 mph sprint time remains at 4.4 seconds, so performance was presumably unaffected by the efficiency tweak.
Official fuel consumption estimates by the U.S. EPA are still unavailable and the company hasn’t announced a specific time for the i8 to arrive in the U.S. BMW has already promised that the car will be able to travel up to 22 emissions-free miles.
The i8 is BMW’s first plug-in hybrid sports car. Like the i3, it makes substantial use of carbon fiber to save weight. In total, the powertrain offers 357 hp between a turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor. The gas engine powers the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission while the electric motor sends power to the front.
GALLERY: 2014 BMW i8
Discuss this story at our BMW forum
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
More by Luke Vandezande
Comments
Join the conversation