BMW->ke178 just announced that delivery of its all-new i8 hybrid sports car will begin this June after the car goes into full-scale production starting in April 2014. Sadly for us in the United States, our European friends will be getting their i8s first.
BMW seems to have struck a chord with consumers as orders for the i8 have been poring in since BMW opened the books in the fall of 2013. It says the car has already exceeded the planned volume. To help satisfy the interested, BMW is holding demonstration in strategic regions of Europe with pre-production i8s and what the automaker calls "BMW i agents." These informants and their demonstrator vehicles will help inform and educate folks about the i8’s uniqueness.
There’s no word if BMW plans on holding these demonstrations Stateside, though our suspicion is it will and on a smaller scale. The U.S. is only slotted a couple hundred i8s for 2014 with numbers only growing in to the low thousands for 2015. Pricing for the UK->ke176 begins at €126,000 while Germany will pay £ 99,125. Pricing for the U.S. will start at $135,700.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW i8.
The BMW i8 represents a step forward into the ‘sustainable sports car’ realm, as BMW->ke178 calls it. The car is marketed as a fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly hybrid that saves the planet one waterlogged polar bear at a time, while still holding its own at the weekend track day event.
Its claim to sportiness isn’t a bluff as the car powers from 0 to 62 mph in roughly 4.4 seconds with a governed top speed of 155 mph. Most i8 owners will be more interested in economy; with a full tank of gasoline and full batteries, the 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-three, combined with the 131-horsepower electric motor, will push the car 372 miles. In full-electric mode, the car will travel about 22 miles at a maximum speed of 75 mph. Charging the car can be done with either a 120-volt or 220-volt outlet with times ranging from 3.5 hours on 120-volts and 1.5 hours using 220-volts.