BMW i8 reaches Mumbai dealership ahead of launch

The BMW i8 hybrid has been spotted at the stockyard of a dealership in Mumbai. BMW had displayed the car at the 2014 Auto Expo.

The i8 has a body that uses a lot of carbon fibre and weighs 1,485 kg. The passenger cabin in the i8 is made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, while the whole drivetrain, suspension and battery pack rests on an aluminium frame.

The i8 uses a combination of an electric motor and a 3-cylinder petrol engine. The electric motor produces 131 bhp and 320 Nm of torque and powers the front axle. The rear axle is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 231 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. This combination helps the i8 to do a 0 to 100 kph sprint in 4.4 seconds and achieve a top speed of 250 kph. It has a claimed range of 600 km. Using just the batteries, the i8 can hit a top speed of 120 kph with a maximum range of 37 kms.

The launch of the i8 in India is rumoured to be next month. The car will be brought to the country through the CBU route. Only 8 units have been allocated to India for 2015.

Source: Bharat Autos