BMW has announced the i8 will go into production in April at the company's plant in Leipzig, ahead of the first deliveries in June.
According to the German carmaker, the i8 has a plug-in hybrid powertrain which includes a 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo 3-cylinder engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. This system produces a combined maximum output of 362 hp that allows the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and hit a limited top speed of 250 km/h.
In terms of efficiency, the car returns 2.1 L/100 km (134.5 mpg UK or 112 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 49 g/km. It is about 50 percent more fuel-efficient than conventionally powered sports cars. In zero-emission all-electric mode, the i8 has a top speed of 120 km/h and a range of 37 km within the EU test cycle.
