BMW i8, India's first hybrid supercar launched at INR 2.29 Crore

BMW has launched its uber cool hybrid supercar, the i8 for Indian roads at a price of INR 2.29 Crore, The i8 will be India’s first hybrid supercar and has brewed a lot of anticipation from prospective owners for its looks, performance and eco-friendly character.

The BMW i8 is powered by a 1.5 litre three cylinder turbo petrol engine developed from scratch by BMW that delivers an output of 231PS and 320Nm, this is from the gasoline engine alone; the electric motor on the other hand provides 131PS of power and 250Nm of torque. Do the math and combine the two and you have a total output of 362PS and 570Nm of torque, pretty impressive for a 1.5 litre engine! The engine will be coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission and the i8 will be a plug-in hybrid car which means you can charge it on the go from a suitable power source.

It features a four wheel drive system and the i8 comes with with BMW's connected drive solutions which include next generation BMW iDrive with touch controller and handwriting recognition, BMW navigation professional with an 8.8 inch color display, 3D maps, Harman Kardon music system, park distance control with front and rear view camera which will be standard.

The BMW i8 is capable of hitting a top speed of 250kmph (combined) and when powered only by the electric engine, it touches a top speed of 120kmph. The most impressive part about the i8 besides its futuristic looks is it fuel economy; with the hybrid power the i8 required only 2.1 litres of petrol to cover a 100km journey. The BMW i8 will be available at BMW i dealerships in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai as a CBU from today onwards.