The all-new BMW i8 is a BMW like we haven't seen before. Well, let me be a little more clear.
Sure, the wedge-shaped design has been done by BMW. That original car was the M1. The i8 resurrects some of that panache and couples it with some of the most innovative technology on the market to offer up one of the most forward thinking BMW products in some time.
Though BMW has been known as a performance marque for a while, it's clear the brand is shifting towards being a performance brand that has an emphasis on efficiency. How else will a company that constructs "driver's cars" survive if it doesn't fight CAFE standards and ensure its driver's aren't spending their annual salaries at the pump? Although the first "i" product to launch is the i3, I think the i8 is more critical to the Bavarian's future.
That's because its a representation of where BMW is headed. Small displacement, fuel efficient gasoline powered motors coupled with hybrid technology to give you the best of both worlds. Sure, it could have made the i8 faster and it could have built a more efficient vehicle. But then that would ruin the point of having the best of both worlds, wouldn't it?
All that said, a British publication recently brought together BMWphiles, potential owners and readers to scope out BMW's latest vehicle. Considering how the i8 will be a BMW landmark, it's interesting to hear the everyman's perspective.
If you don't pop your head out of the weeds now and again, you lose sight of what real buyers actually think.
**Take a look at the video clip below!
BMW's second plug-in hybrid model is the i8 supercar. It combines futuristic technology and styling with electric performance in every sense of the word. See what What Car? readers made of the car...
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