BMW i8 News
-
BMW is breathing some fresh air into its three-year-old alternative flagship to improve performance, increase range, and add some style. Revealed at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, the i8's update (known in the industry as a "mid-cycle refresh") increases its battery capacity from 7.1 to 11.7 kilowatt-hours, improving the car's all-electric range from 15 to 18 miles. But if you're buying the i8 for its electric-mode range, you may be missing the point. DON'T MISS: Long-delayed BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid due in 2018 Instead, the more robust battery exists to power an electric motor now rated...
-
Insurance claims on electric cars vary hugely, though perhaps predictably
When buying a car, one point to consider during the process should be insurance costs. Aside from any finance or lease payment, and fuel costs if you cover lots of miles in a not-very-efficient vehicle, insurance is likely your biggest car-related expense. Thankfully, the Insurance Institute for...
Mark Stevenson -
Long-delayed BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid due in 2018
The BMW i8 Spyder will arrive in 2018, according to BMW CEO Harald Krueger.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW i8 prototype to drop engine, go all-electric: report
BMW is reportedly constructing an all-electric i8 prototype.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW i8 plug-in hybrid coupe to get longer range, other updates: report
The BMW i8 may soon get powertrain upgrades and wireless charging.
Stephen Edelstein -
Sexy BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Falls To Sticker Price As Dealer Markups Wane
Any insanely alluring, attractive, enticing car will likely see dealer markups when it first goes on sale. Ask any potential buyer of a new Chevy Corvette or Dodge Hellcat model how much their dealership added to the sticker price for the first ones on the lot. And the same applied as well to the...
John Voelcker -
The BMW i3 electric car and i8 plug-in hybrid sport coupe are audacious examples of advanced technology in many ways. Not the least of it are body shells made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) mounted atop an aluminum rolling platform carrying the powertrains and crash structures. BMW has said that in due course, the plug-in cars' advanced technology would migrate into its higher-volume mainstream production models. DON'T MISS: Research Backed By BMW Halfway To Carbon-Fiber Cost 90% Lower (Oct 2014) Now we know what one of those models will be: the next generation of the BMW 7-Series...
-
BMW Targets Twice As Many Electric-Car Sales This Year
BMW hopes to increase sales of both the i3 and i8.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Coupe Production Will Double To Meet Demand
BMW is increasing i8 production to cut wait times.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 BMW i8 Video Road Test
The BMW i8 is sleek and stunning, but it's no V-8-powered supercar. Is it the car that will give plug-in hybrids sex appeal? First, you need to know what makes the i8 go. This is no straightforward supercar: The i8 gets power in a complex way--it can be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or...
Joel Feder -
Strong Demand For BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Coupe May Presage Production Rise
BMW may increase i8 production to reduce wait times.
Stephen Edelstein -
First BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Sport Coupes Delivered At Pebble Beach Concours
The first BMW i8 plug-in hybrid coupes were delivered amid the appropriately-upscale atmosphere of Pebble Beach.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW has revealed full pricing and options details for its plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8. It's the first glimpse we've had of pricing beyond the i8's regular base price, and what BMW's 'World' trim levels offer beyond the standard i8's equipment tally. Revealed by BMW Blog, the i8's base price comes in at $135,700, before BMW's $950 destination fee. That said, BMW has limited initial sales to the $10,800-extra 'Pure Impulse World' launch package. Those models include a long list of unique features including perforated grey leather, i8 script on the headrests, BMW i blue seatbelts...
-
BMW Smartphone App Helps Cut Home Electric Car Charging Costs
Unless you're a Tesla owner with access to free Supercharger fast charging stations, there's no better place to charge your electric car than at home. Pick the right electricity tariff, and charging can cost pennies on the dollar next to even the most efficient combustion-engined vehicle. BMW hopes...
Antony Ingram -
BMW i3 Electric Car Buyers: Mostly New To BMW (But Not i8 Owners)
The 2014 BMW i3 is proving to be very effective at luring new buyers to BMW--buyers who haven't before owned one of its cars. Such buyers, known as conquests, are highly valued by carmakers, who have a much better chance of retaining a customer if they're already driving one of its vehicles. The...
John Voelcker -
BMW Says It Will Triple Production Of Carbon Fiber For Electric Cars
BMW plans to produce up to 9,000 tons of material per year at its Washington-state plant.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 BMW i8: Sexy Plug-In Hybrid Sport Coupe, Our First Drive
Could the 2015 BMW i8 sports coupe, coming this summer, do for plug-in hybrids what the Tesla Model S did for battery-electric vehicles? That is, could the sleek, sexy, attention-luring coupe with doors that open like insect wings make plug-in hybrids...sexy? ALSO READ: Chevy Volt: How It Really...
John Voelcker -
2015 BMW i8 Production Starts, Final Specs Released For Plug-In Hybrid Supercar
The 2015 BMW i8 is one of this year's most eagerly-anticipated cars, but there's not long to wait now as the first examples begin to roll from the production line. The German automaker has also confirmed final specification details for the European market, including its official performance and...
Antony Ingram -
With awareness of the 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric car starting to rise--it will arrive at dealers in late April or early May--it's sometimes easy to forget that BMW has a second plug-in car following close behind. And unlike the i3, whose looks are controversial, there's very little debate over the design of the 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sport coupe. MORE: 2015 BMW i8 Live Photo Gallery: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show Pretty much everyone thinks it looks just fantastic. And that's even before neat technological breakthroughs like the laser headlights. And adding to the style quotient, we learned...
-
2015 BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Sports Coupe: Guided Video Tour
Launching early next year, the 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe is the second stage in BMW's i-car program, dedicated to vehicles with electric drivetrains. While it isn't a full battery-electric vehicle (or range-extended EV) like the i3 city car, electric power is still an important part...
Antony Ingram -
2015 BMW i8 To Feature World's First Laser Headlights
BMW's plug-in hybrid i8 sports car is set to be one of the most exciting cars of 2014, but it'll also be one of the most technologically advanced. As well as the use of a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, its part-electric drivetrain and unique styling, it'll also be the world's...
Antony Ingram -
2015 BMW i8 Live Photo Gallery: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
The production version of BMW's i8 plug-in hybrid sports car was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. Check out live images here.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 BMW i8 Plug-In Hybrid Sports Coupe Priced From $135,925
At this morning's Frankfurt Auto Show, the wraps finally came off the production version of the 2015 BMW i8, the plug-in hybrid coupe that's the high-performance counterpart to the 2014 BMW i3 electric urban car. Among other details, BMW announced U.S. pricing for the car, which will go on sale...
John Voelcker -
BMW i8 Plug-In Sports Car Edges Closer With New Teaser Video
One of the most exciting launches at this month's Frankfurt Auto Show will be BMW's new plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8. The German automaker has released a teaser video of the new car ahead of its official debut on September 10, where it'll join the existing i3 electric city car on BMW's...
Antony Ingram