FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: BMW presents its first plug-in hybrid

BMW has released full details and images of its first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the final production version of its ground-breaking new i8 supercar, which made its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show opening in Germany today.

Pictured here in showroom-ready form for the first time, confirming the legitimacy of leaked images last week, the series-production i8 maintains the overall proportions of the concept coupe first shown in 2009, but loses details like the transparent (but still upward-opening) doors and psychedelic paint.

However, continuing to herald the plug-in hybrid super-coupe’s ‘green’ credentials is a blue-hued double kidney grille and blue highlights on the sides and rear-end, which are echoed inside via a blue-tinged colour touch-screen and inserts for the futuristic three-spoke steering wheel.

Also inside is a blue-themed digital speedo and energy meter underneath a floating instrument binnacle, and a sweeping dashboard featuring a large diagonal swathe.

As we reported when we drove the i8 prototype in France last month, final durability testing of the radical all-wheel-drive petrol-electric hybrid supercar is continuing in the lead-up to the i8’s global release in early 2015.

Expected to be priced well above $200,000 to compete directly with the Porsche 911, BMW claims the i8 is the “world’s most forward-looking sports car”.

Porsche, having also launched its plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder supercar at Frankfurt, may not back that claim, but the i8 does better the futuristic 918’s circa-3.0L/100km fuel consumption figure with an official EU economy number of just 2.5L/100km – well below mainstream hybrids like the Toyota Prius.

Although the 918 is in another league when it comes to performance, with a 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 2.8 seconds, the i8 is no slouch at 4.4 seconds – making it quicker than the outgoing M3 but not the M5.

As expected, the i8 combines a 96kW/250Nm version of the i3 city-car’s electric motor (powered by a liquid-cooled 5kWh lithium-ion battery and driving the front wheels via a two-stage automatic transmission) with a rear-mounted turbocharged 170kW/320Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine driving the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission, constituting an ‘intelligent’ all-wheel drive system.
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BMW says that notwithstanding its micro-car fuel consumption, total power outputs of 266kW and 570Nm “give the BMW i8 the performance characteristics of a pure-bred sports car”, aided by a “glued-to-the-road AWD driving experience with torque distribution geared towards optimised dynamics”.

A Driving Experience Control switch and eDrive button allows driver to choose from five driving modes. A driving range of up to 35km and a top speed of 120km/h is possible in electric-only mode, while COMFORT mode offers everyday driving for up to 500km between refills of its 42-litre fuel tank, SPORT mode delivers an “ultra-intense boost function” from the electric motor and ECO PRO mode can be used in both all-electric mode and hybrid mode.

At 4689mm long, 1942mm wide at the mirrors and 1293mm high, the i8 wears an aluminium bonnet and outer skin for its carbon-framed doors, while the roof is carbon-fibre and the bumpers are plastic.

Underneath all this is an all-aluminium central tunnel that carries the lithium-ion battery and houses the carbon-fibre ‘Life Module’ body, plus aluminium subframes at both ends to carry the engines and suspension.

There’s a more responsive version of the X3’s electro-mechanical steering, double-wishbone front suspension, five-link rear suspension, 20-inch wheels with 195/50 front and 215/45 rear tyres, though BMW expects most people to opt for the optional carbon wheels with larger 215/45 and 245/40 tyres seen on the prototype.

Despite all this technology, the 2+2-seater i8 weighs less than 1490kg (about 35kg less than the smaller Z4) and will be the world's most aerodynamically efficient sports car, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26Cd.

Other vital statistics include a low 460mm centre of gravity and an extensive standard equipment list including full-LED headlights (world-first laser headlights will be optional), Dynamic Damper Control, Professional Navigation, leather-trimmed sports seats and the choice of four exterior paint finishes and four interior equipment variants.

The range of standard BMW ConnectedDrive features also includes parking sensors, cruise control with braking function, rain-sensing wipers and Intelligent Emergency Call.

Also available will be Head-Up Display, BMW Online Entertainment, Concierge Services, Real Time Traffic Information and mobility services developed specifically for BMW, including intermodal route guidance.

Services specifically developed for BMW i as part of the 360° ELECTRIC program include the BMW i Wallbox for home battery charging, a cashless ChargeNow card for public charging stations and unique mobility services including MyCityWay and ParkatmyHouse.

European options will include a driver assistance package comprising High Beam Assistant, a rear-view camera, Surround View, Speed Limit Info including No Passing Info display, and Collision Warning with pedestrian recognition and braking function.

BMW stresses the i8’s carbon-fibre production and vehicle assembly uses 100 per cent renewable electricity and a high proportion of recycled materials. It also claims to be the world’s first car-maker to employ an environmentally friendly leather tanning process using olive leaf extract.

“This avoids the creation of environmentally damaging production residue as well as giving the leather a particularly high-quality and natural look,” it said of the treatment process for the i8’s leather trim, which comes to the Leipzig plant exclusively from cattle in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Fabric employed in the i8’s seats, door trims, headlining, pillar trims, floor mats and floor coverings is said to be made from an innovative recycling process, in which polyester granules are produced from materials including recyclable PET and combined with 40 per cent virgin wool.

The i8’s key fob is also made from an innovative form of raw material production, in this case resulting in a biopolymer based on castor beans, oil from which is mixed with fibreglass “to make an extremely high-quality and robust material”.

Here's the full run down on the latest news from Frankfurt motor show

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