The new 8 Series: BMW’s i8 plug-in hybrid supercar. 40km/liter; $136,000

BMW has embarked on a surge of electrification lately, even creating a sub-brand for its new line of electric vehicles. The i3 electric city car was recently launched globally (the nearest to us being Singapore and China), and now the next i vehicle has taken the stage at the Frankfurt auto show. Looking as if it drove directly off the movie set of ‘Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol,’ the i8 looks every inch a concept car. Yet it is a production model that plugs in at the highest end of BMW’s product line.

i8 is a plug-in hybrid 2+2 sports car, with several rare characteristics:

-Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell. This allows for a low curb weight of 1490kg

-Electric drive module results in low center of gravity: below 460mm (18 inches) and balanced weight distribution

-concept-car looks: very low slung at 1293mm height and 1942mm wide

-available laser headlamps, full LED headlamps as standard

Propelling the i8 is a 1.5-liter three-cylinder twin-turbo gasoline engine good for 231 hp and 320Nm. This is combined with a 131hp / 250Nm electric motor. Total system output is 362 hp and 570 Nm, good for a 4.4-second 0-100 kph time. With near-supercar acceleration, the i8 also delivers 40km/liter (EU-measured). Top speed is electronically limited to 250kph.

The system uses the gasoline engine to drive the rear wheels via six-speed automatic, while the battery-powered electric motor drives the front wheels. Multiple computers make sure that the propulsion is properly synchronized. All-electric mode is selectable for a maximum range of 35 km, with a top speed of 120 kph. Combined electric and gasoline range is estimated at over 500 km.

i8 rides on a double-wishbone front axle and five-link rear axle. Dynamic damper control is standard, as are 20-inch light-alloy wheels.

For an extra dose of Mission: Impossible feel, you can switch on the world-first laser headlamp system. Laser diodes and fluorescent phosphors produce a pure-white, extremely bright light. BMW says that the laser lighting produces a monochromatic, near parallel beam with an intensity a thousand times greater than that of LEDs, while using up half the energy.

For the final touch: separating the cabin from trunk is a sheet of Gorilla Glass, 0.7mm thick. Just like on your smartphone, but a hundred times bigger. This is also in aid of weight reduction and acoustic dampening.

The announced US price is $135,925, or about 60 percent more than the 7-Series hybrid, or 40 percent more than the top Tesla S. For those seeking cutting-edge technology with jaw-dropping concept-car looks, the i8 might just be worth the price of entry.