BMW's futuristic hybrid - i8 will go in production this April

Remember the white i8 grabbing the eye balls at the BMW stand in the 2014 Auto Expo Delhi. Well, the German automaker has announced the production plan for this futuristic hybrid car and not to mention the most efficient one! The production of the i8 will start this April and the initial deliveries of the vehicle will start by June in few location across the globe.

Speaking of the engine, unlike it all electric sibling i3, the i8 will be powered by BMW's twin turbo 1.5 litre petrol. The three pot mill is coupled to an electric motor powered by lithium-ion battery pack. The gasoline mill solely produces power of 230bhp and a peak torque of 320Nm while the electric motor powering the front wheels churns 130bhp along with max torque of 250Nm. Total power comes down to nearly 360bhp. In fully electric mode the i8 transforms into a front wheel drive vehicle, in the coupled mode power comes to all the four wheel providing maximum traction. The conjuctional power train propels this state of the art machine from standstill to 100kmph barrier in mere 4.4 seconds with a top whack electronically limited to 250kmph.

The green got greener! The production version mileage figures of the i8 went higher from earlier speculations(40kmpl), the efficiency stats stands at 2.1L/100 km (approximately lands to a whooping 47kmpl!). The company claims that the all battery range of the car will be 37 km with C02 emissions of 49g/km.

Displayed at the Expo, BMW India mentioned that there will be under 10 units for Indian customers at least for initial production stock, deliveries will start in the second half of 2014.

source:cardekho