BMW’s supercar, the M1, was sold between 1978 to 1981 as the only mid-engined BMW to be mass produced. But you’d expect more from a maker like BMW, right? And with all the competition on the market, BMW had to do something about it, so they decided to put the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show into production.
It’s not the first time we hear about the possibility of the Vision Efficient Dynamics going into production, but today we have more details about the production version: the i8. And while the concept is powered by a three cylinder turbo diesel power plant combined with two electric motors, the i8 will be offered in both electric and hybrid versions.
Rumors suggest that the Project i Coupe won’t be flying solo as BMW may be panning on an M version for this future model and it will most likely be called the M1.
UPDATE 02/21/2011: BMW has officially announced the new i sub-brand, with the i3 and the i8 being the first models to be launched carrying the i name. The i8 will be based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study, a plug-in hybrid drive that blends the sporting ability of a high-performance machine with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car.
UPDATE 03/14/11: The BMW i8 hybrid sports coupe was recently spotted by Bimmerpost undergoing cold-weather testing somewhere in Northern Europe. Word has it that the i8 hybrid sports coupe will now come with a gas engine as opposed to the previously held position of diesel engine variants. According to BMW’s research and development chief, Klaus Draeger, the company has big plans for the i8 sports hybrid coupe, one that involves being sold not just in Europe, but all over the world. Sounds good to hear, if you ask us. While we wait for the production version to arrive sometime in 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment