The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW. The i8 was part of BMW's electrified fleet and was marketed under the BMW i sub-brand. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was released in Germany in June 2014. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. began in August 2014. A roadster variant was launched in May 2018. Production ended in June 2020.
Beemer B773ER
Tire Trailblazer
Somebody get this man the new S-class!!
tikipukapuko
Schwarzwald Sprinter
@ first i was not able to digest the asking price for this car, then i saw these last set of photos and i think it is worth that price tag, it feels unique.
The i8 has forced induction so I'm not sure what is so surprising.
That costs the same or indeed, more, than many different supercars.
I know the reason it's expensive. I'm just looking at it from the point of view of a Supercar fan. Why would you buy an i8? It lacks many of the things you WANT in a sports car or even a super car.
EnI
Piston Pioneer
Yes, YOU want. What does i8 lack as a sports car? What? A larger ICE?
Since supercar it ain't - despite the exotic design. Even the price does not scream supercar.
Electric drive in i8 provides super fast acceleration within city speed limits. On par with much more powerful cars. OK, 0-100kh & 80-120 kmh are on sports car levels, while top speed is limited to 250kmh provide better efficiency (although the car could reach a top speed of approx 285kmh). So, it's useful for Autobahn speeding as well. But primarily it's build for daily city commuting. Yes, some people do use sports cars as their daily drive. And with i8 they will be allowed to enter some city district downtown where sports cars are not allowed (or the entrance fee is quite high for big polluters).
But it sure ain't a car for everybody. For petrolheads it ain't. Someone who desires at least V8 sound & insane performance won't be interested in such a car.
Yet as said: there are quite some who are buying this car for its design only. And for image. I can imagine tons of superstars (international & local) driving i8. Or even i3. Sure Tesla S is perhaps better ... But image wise BMW i is still a BMW. And it looks exotic while Tesla S looks quite conventional & similar to you average Asian luxury sedan. What do you think will turn more heads & spark more interest: i3 (not to mention i8) or Tesla S?
Since supercar it ain't - despite the exotic design. Even the price does not scream supercar.
Electric drive in i8 provides super fast acceleration within city speed limits. On par with much more powerful cars. OK, 0-100kh & 80-120 kmh are on sports car levels, while top speed is limited to 250kmh provide better efficiency (although the car could reach a top speed of approx 285kmh). So, it's useful for Autobahn speeding as well. But primarily it's build for daily city commuting. Yes, some people do use sports cars as their daily drive. And with i8 they will be allowed to enter some city district downtown where sports cars are not allowed (or the entrance fee is quite high for big polluters).
But it sure ain't a car for everybody. For petrolheads it ain't. Someone who desires at least V8 sound & insane performance won't be interested in such a car.
Yet as said: there are quite some who are buying this car for its design only. And for image. I can imagine tons of superstars (international & local) driving i8. Or even i3. Sure Tesla S is perhaps better ... But image wise BMW i is still a BMW. And it looks exotic while Tesla S looks quite conventional & similar to you average Asian luxury sedan. What do you think will turn more heads & spark more interest: i3 (not to mention i8) or Tesla S?
well why do you look at it from the point of view of a supercar fan? it is certainly not made for them
EnI
Piston Pioneer
And this is a good thing?
For publicity it definitely is. There's a lot of secondary exposure. Exposure & publicity are always welcome.
Btw, not all customers are car enthusiast & petrolheads. Even more: vast majority of them aren't! For some image is more important than the real performance. Especially when it comes to luxury / premium cars.
Oh, I'm hearing BMW is already placing i8 & i3 in several upcoming movies & series.
And as said: there are many i8 potential customers who are buying i3 as well. And BMW are already working on a 3rd original BMW i model (not an i3 or i8 derivate). Is it a larger hatchback or a medium crossover? Or is it a bit of both?
You'll have to wait approx 1 year to get that (initial) answer.The selling price alone puts it squarely in supercar territory.
No matter what BMW would like people to think, many will view this as BMW's supercar. It's the same price as many high performance cars. On other forums where they're less fanatical about BMW, they see it as BMW's supercar. The general public will see it as BMW's answer to the 911 and R8.
I think many have an opinion on what the i8 is or should be, I doubt even BMW would claim it to be a supercar despite it's price sitting squarely in that territory and because of this and it's looks people are comparing it as such and finding it wanting.
But for those that can truly afford these cars i.e. supercars that is they are always looking for the next 'new' toy to plop in their garage and this definitely fits that criteria but in actuality this does something far more important, it allows them to sell off their awful unadventurous Prius and enjoy something decidedly prettier and probably far more enjoyable whilst still giving the outward appearance that they care about the environment, which we all know is total BS.
But for those that can truly afford these cars i.e. supercars that is they are always looking for the next 'new' toy to plop in their garage and this definitely fits that criteria but in actuality this does something far more important, it allows them to sell off their awful unadventurous Prius and enjoy something decidedly prettier and probably far more enjoyable whilst still giving the outward appearance that they care about the environment, which we all know is total BS.
klier
Premium
BMW doesn't call it that, it's just people like Betty Swollocks who keep coming back to that over and over again....
BMW can call it whatever they like, but the public can make up their own mind. It will be viewed by many a casual observer as BMW's answer to the R8 and 911. And then they will see the price and the performance and think "why?".
The only discernible advantage I can see the i8 offers over the competition is fuel economy, and when you're paying that sort of money, fuel cost is irrelevant.
EnI
Piston Pioneer
Yes. that's exactly what it is. A greener alternative to 911 4S or R8 V8.
With similar performance:
i8 362HP: auto 4.4s 0-100kmh ... €126k; yet i8 outperforms both rivals in city speed limits (0-60 kmh) accelerations by a margin!
991 4S 400HP: manual 4.5s / PDK 4.3s ... €112k/€116k ;
R8 V8 430HP: manual 4.6s / S-tronic 4.3s ... €115k/€120k),
Yet much much much more efficient & eco friendly:
i8: auto 2.5L / 100 kmh;
59g CO2/km
911 4S: manual 9.9L / PDK 9.1L per 100km;
234g CO2 manual / 215g CO2 PDK per km;
R8 V8: manual 14.2L / S-tronic 12.1L 100km;
manual 332g CO2 per km / S-tronic 289g CO2 per km
And (in Germany) i8 costing up to 10% more (base price) - not bad for a plug-in hybrid with 100% CFRP body frame.
i8: €126k auto
911 4S: €112k manual / €116k PDK
R8 V8: €115k manual / €120k S-tronic
Sure, there are more powerful (and thus less efficient & even less eco friendly) 911 & R8 models (Turbo, Turbo S, V10, V 10 plus) but they cost much more: Turbo €162k, Turbo S €192k, V10 €156k, V10 plus €175k.
The only handicap the i8 has compared to both rivals is limited top speed (i8: 250kmh vs 911 4S: 299kmh / 297 kmh vs R8 V8: 302kmh / 300kmh. But these top speeds can be LEGALLY reachable only on a race track or on some limited parts of German autobahns.
i8 a viable & formidable alternative to certain 911 (the 4s) and R8 (the V8) models. And the first direct rival ( a plug-in hybrid sports car) to i8 is expected to be the new Honda / Acura NSX. Which, I assume, will outperform the i8; it will cost the same or even less; but it's not expected to be as efficient & eco friendly as i8. Nor as exotic (when it comes to materials & design). Nor having BMW brand image for that matter. But it will certainly be a fierce rival in some markets (eg. US).
SCOTT27
Lap Time Luminary
We call the i8 The Most Progressive Sports Car because there is nothing like it in terms of design and engineering on the market today.
But just look at those pictures from France. That is the lure of the car no one can take their eyes off it, it was the same with the i3 that was at the same event. In the past week I was in the UK seeing the car get introduced there to the public , everything I want customers to say about the i3 (i8 will be later) they are and the words are " Revolutionary" , " Ground Breaking" and " Game Changer" and that's just on the design.
Our Media drives for the BMW i3 commence this month.
Further pictures.
But just look at those pictures from France. That is the lure of the car no one can take their eyes off it, it was the same with the i3 that was at the same event. In the past week I was in the UK seeing the car get introduced there to the public , everything I want customers to say about the i3 (i8 will be later) they are and the words are " Revolutionary" , " Ground Breaking" and " Game Changer" and that's just on the design.
Our Media drives for the BMW i3 commence this month.
Further pictures.
I don't know if you can view the brand image of the NSX in the same way as normal Honda, it's like what GTR is to Nissan, to many it's viewed as a separate identity.
My only real issue with the i8 is it's performance/efficiency ratio, if they had made it slightly quicker and sacrificed slightly on the economy I think more would have accepted it better. But probably BMW are being more forward thinking than I.
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BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, abbreviated as BMW is a German multinational
manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced
from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)
