THIS is BMW’s sensational new electric car which offers supercar performance
and nearly 90mpg.
Tom Cruise will drive the electric/diesel hybrid i8 in new Mission Impossible
film The Ghost Protocol.
And it will go on sale in 2013 as part of a radical brand of BMW
electric/hybrid cars.
The brand, launched this week in Munich, will be called BMWi – with the first
models an electric city car, the BMW i3, and the high-performance i8 coup.
The i3 will be a zero-emission all-electric supermini with room for four and a
range in excess of 100 miles. It is aimed at commuters around the world. But
the car that will change the image of electric motoring will be the stunning
i8, a four-seat coup with supercar performance, but fuel economy of nearly
90mpg, a range of 435 miles and CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km – and
that means no road tax.
The incredible performance comes from a relatively small 1.5-litre turbo
diesel, boosted by two electric motors, that delivers 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds
and a top speed of 155mph. Expect a price around 100,000 plus.
BMW’s Sales and Marketing boss Ian Robertson said the new brand and cars would
“radically alter the motor industry and set a new benchmark for premium
electric cars”.
He added: “These cars and the i brand will shift the game and shape the future
of motoring.
“It will change the way we build cars with new materials and production
techniques and the way we drive.”
He said it was too early to talk prices for the new cars but said that the i3
- despite being a small city car – would have a premium price and cost more
than such rivals as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.
Luxury The ground-breaking brand follows a decision at the weekend by Rolls-
Royce, also owned by BMW, to develop an all-electric Phantom as the first
ultra-luxury electric car.
And BMW are also working on plans for an electric Mini – the German Group own
Mini – to complete their electric range.
To that end BMW have been testing a fleet of 600 prototype electric Minis in
the UK and around the world for the last two years.
And research from those drivers who took part in the Mini electric trials has
been vital in developing the BMW i3 city car.
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Tags: cars, motoring, vehicles
