Last year BMW set the motoring world on its ear when it introduced its electric concept cars, the i3 and the i8. Well, get ready for it to set the whole driving world on its ear when it actually launches the cars next year.
Of the two the i8 is the typical BMW luxury car with sleek curves and gorgeous styling, not the the i3 is any slouch in this area, that will come with a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder powerplant that will put out 220 horsepower and 221 lb-ft torque.
When combined with the electric motor you can expect to go from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds.
The three-pot works in tandem with a lithium-ion battery pack and front-mounted electric motor pulled from the i3 and driving the front wheels, allowing an electric-only range of up to 20 miles on a charge. Put both systems together and you’ve got a front-wheel-drive vehicle for maximum efficiency, a rear-driver for maximum fun and all-wheel drive for maximum grip. And if that isn’t enticing enough, the i8 has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
via Autoblog
Here’s a couple images of both the i3 and the i8.
