BMW has unveiled the 2013 BMW i8 following the huge popularity gained by the i3 hybrid hatchback that was globally unveiled a couple of months back. The i8 styling is along the lines of the i3 but has opted for more flamboyance to do justice to the sports car appeal.
The gullwing like doors and the sharp creases highlight the BMW i8’s styling while providing four passenger seats wrapped in a carbon fibre reinforced plastic passenger cell. The laser headlights from the concept are available as optional while the see-through doors and the futuristic alloy wheels have been given up for more conventional ones in the production model.
Similar to the i3, the i8 too uses a plug-in hybrid system with a three- cylinder petrol engine driving the rear axle and an electric motor powering the front. The combined output of the power plant is 367PS power and 569Nm of torque both of which aid the car to accelerate to 100kph from standstill in under 4.5 seconds while returning 40kmpl. Despite the hybrid system, the car weighs around 1490kg thanks to its lightweight aluminium architecture.
The optional equipment list available on the car includes rear view camera, high beam assistant, speed limit info with No Passing Info display, Surround View, Head-Up Display, along with Collision Warning with pedestrian recognition.
The i3 and the i8 clearly indicate the direction in which the BMW product range is heading, and this glimpse to the future definitely does look interesting.
![BMW M3 [2009-2013] Image](https://imgd.aeplcdn.com/0x0/cw/static/oxygen/no-car-images.svg "BMW M3 [2009-2013] Image")
