New Delhi: After generating a lot of hype during the 2014 Auto Expo, BMW is preparing itself to officially launch the i8 supercar in India on February 18.
The i8 will come with a 1.5-litre inline 3 petrol engine and a 7.1kWh lithium-ion battery, which gives it the tag of a hybrid. Power from the gasoline engine stands at 228Â bhp while, the electric motor punches out 129 bhp and the combined tally stands at a massive 357 bhp.
In all-electric mode, the BMW i8 boasts of a top speed of 120 km/h. In Sport mode, the i8 delivers a mid-range acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in 2.6 seconds. The electronically controlled top speed stands at 250 km/h.
The i8 is going to be a segment first hybrid supercar in the Indian market. For now, only 8 units are allotted for the Indian market.
The i8 belongs to a completely different breed of supercars with an extremely futuristic design derived from the BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics concept. The car has some jaw-dropping features such as scissor doors, laser headlights, all-digital driver cockpit and color-changing lighting pattern of the dashboard.
The i8 will see the addition of a new dimension to BMW in India, and with the i3 in the offing soon, we hope to see infrastructure for hybrids grow before any more such cars come into the market. The supercar is expected to be priced in the ballpark of Rs. 2-2.5 crore (Ex-showroom, Delhi).Â