[S@ndy]

BMW India, a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG, will display it's hybrid supercar, the i8 in India at the Auto Expo. Since it lacks any direct rival (Tesla roadster is defunct now), it's a competitor to the Audi R8 and the Mercedes SLS (now about to be discontinued worldwide to make way for a smaller coupe, namely SLC).

It would be displayed at the Auto Expo to guage the public response and it's scheduled for a launch sometime in the last quarter of 2014. Only 8 units are supposed to be allocated for India since the first year of global production of the electric supercar has been sold out.



It is powered by a 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo three cylinder engine, which produces 261 hp and 320 nm of torque. Couple this to an electric motor which gives an additional 131 hp and 250 nm of torque. Combined, it has 360 hp and 570 nm of torque. It is powered by all four wheels, with the engine powering front wheels and the electric motor the rear ones.

The car is propelled to the ton in 4.5 seconds and is electronically limited to 250 kmph. It manages 40 kmpl in the European driving cycle. So, could it be the most fuel efficient car in India? Probably!

Also, BMW has no plans to launch the innovative and cheeky city car, i3 here mainly due to lack of any direct incentives and subsidies by the Indian Govt. and lack of adequate infrastructure. Looks like 2014 has many exciting launches in the bag!

Source

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[S@ndy]

BMW India has started to tease the i8 on it's website. Here's a screenshot I clicked:-



Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[volkman10]

BMW i8 Deliveries Start in June , Combined Fuel Consumption Rated at 2.1l/100km or 112 MPG.

During final development of the car, engineers managed to further improve driving performance and fuel consumption, with the BMW i8 averaging just 2.1 liters/100 km (134.5 mpg UK, 112 mpg US) with the use of the battery-powered electric motor.

BMW says the i8’s low fuel consumption is not only on paper, but in real life as well. For instance, in typical everyday commuting, with the battery fully charged at the beginning, the BMW i8 can return a fuel consumption below 5 l/100 km (56.5 mpg UK, 47 mpg US) around town.

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/03/bmw...june-2014.html

[coloneljasi]

Originally Posted by volkman10

BMW i8 Deliveries Start in June , Combined Fuel Consumption Rated at 2.1l/100km or 112 MPG.



http://www.carscoops.com/2014/03/bmw...june-2014.html

Just concluded an in-house training about the i8 last week. It's going to be brilliant alternative product, albeit an expensive one.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

BMW i8 Deliveries Start in June , Combined Fuel Consumption Rated at 2.1l/100km or 112 MPG.

The first i8 of the cars alloted to India is coming to Bombay.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by coloneljasi

Just concluded an in-house training about the i8 last week. It's going to be brilliant alternative product, albeit an expensive one.

Will all BMW service centers be equipped with the skill set to maintain this complicated car?

[coloneljasi]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Will all BMW service centers be equipped with the skill set to maintain this complicated car?

No, there will be classification for BMW workshops, based on their competence and facilities, for handling the i8. The smaller dealers would only be able to do regular services on the combustion engine, next level for the electrical one and the last for being able to do CF crash repairs. More or less, that's how things will be although official communication is still awaited from the manufacturer.

[volkman10]

BMW i8 Demand Already Exceeding Production, repeats the i3 story.Waiting period of 3 to 4 months could disappoint customers.

i8 chassis

Furthermore, it is found found out that the i8 will be available with a standard fuel tank of 30 liters, allowing you to cover up to 440 km (273 miles) but also an optional 42-liter one that should be good for up to 600 km (373 miles), therefore taking range anxiety completely out of the question.

http://europe.autonews.com/article/2...roduction-run#

[volkman10]

BMW i8 Hybrid Sport Video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkUCleOobfc

This is no ordinary sports car, however. This is a hybrid plug-in from Bavaria. It uses both a conventional engine and an electric one, similar to the way today’s hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari do. On a much smaller scale, though.

The i8 uses a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit at the back that is powering the rear axle, making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque together with an electric motor making 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque that is powering the front axle.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bm...deo-80510.html

[volkman10]

New BMW i8's Actual Performance Numbers Measured and Revealed .

Road&Track recently tested the car thoroughly and noted down its various performance parameters, the most notable of which being the naught to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint that was completed in 3.8 seconds, a full 0.6 seconds quicker than officially claimed

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/04/new...e-numbers.html

[vvijay]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

Combined, it has 360 hp and 570 nm of torque. It is powered by all four wheels, with the engine powering front wheels and the electric motor the rear ones.

Originally Posted by volkman10

The i8 uses a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit at the back that is powering the rear axle, making 231 HP and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque together with an electric motor making 131 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque that is powering the front axle.

I see two contrary statements. Which of these is true? Engine powering the front wheels and electric motor powering the rear or vice versa?

[S@ndy]

Originally Posted by vvijay

I see two contrary statements. Which of these is true? Engine powering the front wheels and electric motor powering the rear or vice versa?

As per the source of the news, the engine drives the front wheels while the Electric motor propels the rear wheels. Quoting the part:-

Powering the i8 is a 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder petrol engine which is capable of producing 231 hp and 320 Nm of torque. An electric motor provides an additional 131 hp and 250 Nm of torque. While the engine drives the front wheels, the motor drives the rear. Combined, the i8 has 362 hp and 570 Nm of torque flowing through all four wheels.

Hmm, maybe the news item could have an error! In such a case, I request mods to iron out the erroneous mistake in my post.

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[Wanderers]

Hi Volkman,

How is i8 in comparison to Tesla?
I understand Tesla is purely a electric car, whereas i8 is an hybrid like Prius.

Ground clearance of i8 seems to be very low. It may be a important factor while buying for Indian Roads.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

How is i8 in comparison to Tesla?

It is true, the two are almost completely different (the i8 is a hybrid sports car whilst the Model S is an all-electric performance sedan) but you tell that the car is actually a worthy competitor against Tesla.

The video is an i8 test car, but car give you some indication though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoRo1...yer_detailpage

[coloneljasi]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

As per the source of the news, the engine drives the front wheels while the Electric motor propels the rear wheels.

Actually, it's the other way around. I should think that would be the most logical layout since the electric motor sits in the front.