i8 is One Seriously Gorgeous Plug-in Bimmer

Who says that once you buy BMW's amazing i8, you have to settle for factory colors?

This particular model is wearing two-tone, satin black and gloss black duds, courtesy of RDB LA's vinyl wrap department.

They also lowered the car and put on custom spacers and wow does it stand out or what? Never mind the fuel economy, electric range, low CO2 emissions and all that. For some, those are simply bonuses to the car's already great looks and impressive performance figures.

It can reach 250 km/h (155 mph) and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.4 seconds - and that's nothing to laugh at.

This car apparently belongs to Los Angeles Lakers Power Forward Julius Randle, who also owns a Range Roverand a Porsche Panamera. The former Kentucky star played only one game in the NBA before getting injured, in which he scored 2 points from the field and missed two free throws from the line, in 13 min of play.

We're glad to see that didn't dampen his spirits and that he's spending his money on things that can put a smile on his face, since that's what life's all about.

Also, we're looking forward to seeing him on the court next season and we definitely commend him for his fine choice in vinyl wrap.

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BMW Doubled i8 Production

It may start from $136,500 in the United States and €130,000 in Germany, but apparently the BMW i8 is in such high demand that the automaker has recently doubled production.

Currently, buyers of the plug-in hybrid sports car have to wait four and a half months for their vehicles to be delivered, BMW production boss Harald Krueger said at the company’s annual press conference. And that’s despite the fact that BMW has recently doubled i8 production at its plant in Leipzig, Germany, to 20 cars a day. Krueger explained the long waiting list with the fact that demand for the i8 continues to rise.

BMW sold 17,800 i3 and i8 models worldwide in 2014, 16,052 of which were i3s and 1,748 i8s. The United States accounted for more than a third of global 2014 sales, with 6,647 i vehicles sold: 6,092 i3s and 555 i8s.

Story references: Automobil Produktion

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2015 BMW i8 (photo)

BMW USA has announced the full pricing breakdown of the brand’s most anticipated new model, the i8 sports car. The company previously announced a base price of $135,700 (£79,000; €99,000). Destination and Handling is an additional $950 (£550; €695), for a grand total of $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000).

The blue roundel will offer the i8 in three “worlds,” which are trim levels above the base model. Similar to i3 lines, the names of these packages are “Giga World,” “Tera World,” and “Pure Impulse World.” If BMW believes it is being cool by being strange, BMW is mistaken.

The worlds each include a headlight upgrade to BMW’s cornering, LED units, and primarily alter trim. Whether selecting the base model or one of these packages, customers can select 20” W spoke wheels or 20” turbine wheels at no cost. The cheapest trim is the $2000 (£1165; €1465) Giga World. It offers a perforated leather interior in white or black.

The next level up is the $3000 (£1750; €2200) Tera World. It features blue seatbelts and offers a brown leather and cloth interior.

Finally, for the grandest experience possible, there is the $10,800 (£6290; €7900) Pure Impulse World. What do you get for that $7800 (£4545; €5710) premium? The same blue seatbelts, a spice gray leather interior, and an anthracite headliner. That’s right – BMW is charging almost $8000 (£4660; €5860) for essentially an anthracite roof. That is the craziest thing about this pricing strategy (besides the names, of course). Fitted with Pure Impulse World, a white i8 can reach its price ceiling of $149,250 (£86,970; €109,290).

The only standalone option is to have the car with Crystal White Pearl Metallic paint, which costs $1800 (£1050; €1320). All other paint choices (a whopping three – silver, gray, blue) are no-cost options. The i8 also features a tremendous amount of standard equipment. Heated, electric seats; auto dimming mirrors; Park Distance Control; ambient lighting; Active Driving Assistant; a Harmon/Kardon stereo; a concierge service; and the full suite of BMW apps. All of these are standard, which means that for some, spending the base $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000) will be enough.

The BMW i8 may be a complex plug-in hybrid, but it is also a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S competitor. Though the 911 starts at $105,630 (£61,550; €77,350), the as-tested price can spin out of control when fitted with all of the i8’s standard equipment. With the i8, BMW has taken the technology to outer space while bringing prices back to Earth.

It’s not cheap. But it’s also not priced like a Porsche.

By Nico Grant

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BMW M8 Supercar

In fact the M1, which was produced for BMW by Lamborghini between 1978 and 1981 in just 456 units, is still the only supercar and, at the same time, the sole mid-engined model to sport the blue propeller.

This may change if M division boss Friedrich Nitschke gets his way. According to Car magazine, Nitschke has proposed a new supercar that will be based on the underpinnings of the upcoming i8 hybrid coupe.

The i8, which will go on sale next year, is powered by a mid-mounted 1.5-liter three-cylinder that drives the rear wheels and an electric motor powering the front ones, for a combined output of 349HP and a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 4.6 seconds.

That’s quick but hardly supercar material. For the proposed M8, the four-cylinder would be replaced by a twin-turbocharged V8 with around 600HP. The M8 would lose the i8’s batteries and electric motor and, with it, 200 kg (441 lbs) from the hybrid’s 1,480 kg (3,263 lbs) weight, and thus it would be significantly lighter than rivals such as the 1,458 kg Ferrari 458 Italia.

Way back in the 1990s, another proposal for M8, based on the 8-Series and powered by the same V12 used in the McLaren F1, never made it past the prototype stage. Four years ago, BMW unveiled the M1 Concept (pictured above) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original; despite rumors to the contrary, it remained just a concept. Here’s hoping that the third time will be a charm…

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BMW i8 Spyder Concept

The i8 Spyder will receive the green light for production as well with a possible market launch to follow within the next two to three years. The i8 Spyder will make its world premiere at the Auto China Show 2012 in Beijing in late April.

While it shares its basic platform architecture and plug-in hybrid powertrain with the coupe, the Spyder is a strictly two seater model and has a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length.

Other changes include the solid doors, which keep the 'butterfly' design swiveling upwards, the new colors and materials inside, and the redesigned rear-end that now features a transparent engine cover.

BMW doesn’t say or show if and what kind of top is provided to keep passengers protected from the elements of nature.

Like the coupe, the Spyder is based around a lightweight carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic structure with the same material used for the outer panels.

The i8 employs a plug-in hybrid powertrain combining two different power sources. The primary unit is a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine with 220HP (223PS) and 300 Nm (221 lb.ft) positioned behind the passenger cabin that's linked to a dual clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. The second power source is an electric motor delivering 129HP (132PS) that turns the front wheels.

The two power sources can work independently to drive the vehicle or in tandem, in which case, they generate an aggregate system output of 349HP (35PS) and peak torque of 550Nm (405.6 lb.ft).

BMW says that the i8 Spyder passes the 100km/h (62mph) yardstick in 5.0 seconds after take-off (i8 Coupe: 4.6 seconds), on its way to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The two-seater model is claimed to return a combined fuel consumption of just 3.0lt/100km, equivalent to fuel economy of 94.2mpg UK or 78.4mpg US, in the European test cycle.

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