BMW has announced it will begin deliveries on its plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8, in June for some European customers.
Along with the delivery date, Bimmer has also released the final efficiency numbers for the Porsche 911 Carrera S-fighting eco sports car.
For a refresher, the carbon fiber bodied i8 is powered by a twin-turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine, producing 231 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, and an electric motor good for 131 hp and 184 lb-ft. Combined, the shoebox-sized powerplants are good for 326 hp and a 0 to 62 mph time of 4.4 seconds.
Rather than wax philosophic about the supercar the i8 could have been, let’s just jump into its low carbon motoring characteristics, shall we?
BMW estimates the i8 to achieve – on the European drive cycle – 56 mpg around town and 35 mpg “at higher speeds.” Combined with an electric range of 23 miles, the i8 is rated at 134.5 mpg.
Those aren’t the only impressive numbers the i8 puts out. It’ll do up to 75 mph in all-electric mode, accelerate from 50 to 75 mph in 2.6 seconds, and hit an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.
You can tell BMW is working its press department overtime. Look at the errant German word left in this sentence, “the BMW i8 engineers hat a particular focus on low fuel consumption in real life.” Germanglish!
BMW also brags the i8 is the first production car to feature laser headlights, which will illuminate the road ahead up to 600 meters. This would be a really cool selling feature for the car, if they were legal on U.S. roadways.
Itching for an i8 now more than ever? Well, even if you have the $135,000 lying around, orders for the i8 have already exceeded the production cap. So you can’t have one.
