FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: BMW i8 teased

We drove the i8 prototype last month and now BMW has released a teaser video of the final production version ahead of its global premiere at the Frankfurt motor show next Tuesday (September 10).

Not to be confused with the i8 Spyder concept that debuted at the Beijing show in April 2012, the production i8 coupe retains many of the design cues presented by the original i8 coupe concept in 2009.

Chief among them are the upswinging (but no longer transparent) butterfly doors and U-shaped tail-lights and LED headlight accents, and although the interior is yet to be revealed reports suggest it will feature a large digital speedo and futuristic three-spoke steering wheel.

Apart from the same overall silhouette, styling elements carried over from the coupe concept include unusual ‘fins’ ahead of the front wheels to direct airflow and reduce drag, and separate rear wheel housings that stand apart from the rear bodywork.

Final performance statistics are yet to be revealed, but the plug-in super-hybrid employs a detuned (97kW/250Nm) version of the 130kW electric motor from the upcoming i3 to power the front wheels and a rear-mounted turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that sends up to 170kW to the rear wheels.

BMW’s new turbo-triple will also be seen in the new MINI and the upcoming 1 and 2 Series BMWs, but they won’t offer the i8’s 2.0 bar of turbo boost, giving it the highest specific output in the BMW range.

Combined, the two power units deliver a total system power of 266kW and 570Nm of torque -- almost half of which is on tap instantly, which should result in 0-100km/h acceleration in around 4.5 seconds, bettering the current M3.

The i8 is capable of covering up to 35km in pure electric mode and more than 500km between refills of its 42-litre petrol tank, resulting in a nominal fuel economy figure of around 2.5L/100km

At 4689mm long, 1942mm wide at the mirrors and 1293mm high, the i8 wears an aluminium bonnet and outer skin for its carbon-framed doors, while the roof is carbon-fibre and the bumpers are plastic.

Underneath all this is an all-aluminium central tunnel that carries the lithium-ion battery and houses the carbon-fibre ‘Life Module’ body, plus aluminium subframes at both ends to carry the engines and suspension.

There’s a more responsive version of the X3’s electro-mechanical steering, five-link rear suspension and a multi-mode suspension damping including Sport, Comfort and ECO PRO modes.

The i8 rides on 195/50 R20 front wheels and 215/45 R20 rears, though BMW expects most people to opt for the larger 215/45s and 245/40s seen on the prototype.

Despite all this technology, the i8 weighs less than 1490kg (about 35kg less than the smaller Z4) and will be the most aerodynamically efficient sports car in the world, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26Cd.

There’s also 150 litres of luggage space, behind the engine and beneath its liftback tailgate.

Final durability testing of the radical all-wheel-drive petrol-electric hybrid supercar, which is expected to be priced well above $200,000 to compete directly with the Porsche 911, is continuing in the lead-up to the i8’s global release in early 2015.