BMW i8, winner of the Gold Cup at Autobello 2014

At the sixth edition of the Autobello 2014 event, held in Madrid, which brought together more than 1,500 guests, the BMW i8 was recognised with the competition’s top prize, the Gold Cup of King Felipe VI.

It is a competition for design, beauty, trends and limited series. It was born from the initiative of several people whose common bond was their passion for exclusive cars and collectible watches.

BMW Group Spain attended the event with the new MINI, the BMW M3 and M4, the BMW X4 and also the BMW i3, so the BMW i8 was in good company.

In June, the lucky owners received the first 8 units of this supercar, equipped with high and innovative technology, at the BMW Welt facilities in Munich. It is a multifunctional exhibition venue of the BMW Group in Germany.

The concept of the BMW i8 is that of a 2+2-seater car that uses a plug-in hybrid drive system, split between a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with TwinPower Turbo technology producing 231 CV and an electric synchronous motor producing 131 CV.

The combustion engine acts on the rear wheels and the electric motor on the front wheels, so in electric mode we will drive with front-wheel drive (with a range of 37 km according to homologation) and with the petrol engine the drive will be rear-wheel. Both can work together on certain occasions, so we will also have a vehicle with all-wheel drive.

In electric mode, without the combustion engine running, it can reach a top speed of 120 km/h. From there we can select different driving modes (COMFORT optimises efficiency and dynamism, ECO PRO optimises energy consumption and SPORT unleashes all the performance).

It also features regenerative braking which means that when losing speed, whether braking or during deceleration phases, the electric motor works as a generator. The combustion engine can also help recharge the battery by driving the element that acts as alternator and starter motor.

Performance and consumption are virtues worth highlighting. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds, while achieving average consumption of 2.1 l/100 km and combined CO2 emissions of 49 g/km.

The exterior design is very striking and has been studied to the maximum to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.26, which is really low. The weight of the whole assembly, 1,490 kilograms, has also been optimised, which for a hybrid is no small feat given the extra weight of the lithium-ion batteries.

Magnesium, carbon fibre, aluminium and high-strength plastics are some of the materials that make up the whole car, favouring its lightness and also its safety. Forged aluminium is also present in the 20-inch wheels.

Another characteristic feature of the car is its scissor-opening doors, made from lightweight materials, which give it a supercar touch and which other brands already fit to high-performance cars.

One of the most important innovations brought by the BMW i8 is the new lighting system with laser technology. Three systems can be fitted: the LED system that comes as standard, another LED system that offers more functions, and the newly developed system that combines LED with laser (costing around 9,000 euros).

The laser lighting is only used for high beam, since the low beam is produced by LED. Its range is 600 metres, which doubles the range of any system currently on the market.

Through a series of transformations, the beam emitted by the laser lighting system causes no harm to the human eye. Laser diodes are smaller than other light-emitting diodes, which saves space and weight.

There are three trim levels: “Neso” (standard), “Carpo” and “Halo”. They differ in the colours of the upholstery and interior trim, as well as other aesthetic details, such as the colour of the decorative steering wheel ring.

The BMW i8 is available in Spain from 129,000 euros and joins the brand’s “i” family alongside the BMW i3.

Source | BMW