BMW’s stunning i8 supercar will be officially launched across Ireland in July 2014, with prices commencing from €136,430 OTR. This price is inclusive of a €5,000 SEAI grant and €2,500 VRT Relief. The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid car that is equipped with BMW’s first-ever 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor. It produces CO2 emissions of just 49g/km and has a total power output of 362hp and 570Nm of torque. This enables it to accelerate to 100km/h from a standstill in just 4.4 seconds, before going on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.
The car is beautiful to look at from all angles, its dihedral doors open forwards and upwards. The i8 sits on 20” wheels and customers can choose from four exterior colours which have been designed exclusively for BMW i. Driver and passenger sit low in the CFRP passenger cell, the centre console is home to the gearshift lever, the controller for the iDrive operating system, the Auto Stop-Start button, the eDrive button and the Driving Experience Control switch. The iDrive system includes a freestanding 8.8-inch display with Professional Navigation as standard. The rear wheels of the BMW i8 are driven by the petrol engine via a six-speed automatic transmission, while the front wheels receive their power from the electric motor via a two-stage automatic transmission. Combined maximum output of 362hp and combined peak torque of 570Nm provide all-wheel-drive performance which is as dynamic as it is efficient.
