BMW’s supercar, the M1, was sold between 1978 to 1981 as the only mid-engined BMW to be mass produced. But you’d expect more from a maker like BMW, right? And with all the competition on the market, BMW had to do something about it, so they decided to put the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show into production.
It’s not the first time we hear about the possibility of the Vision Efficient Dynamics going into production, but today we have more details about the production version: the i8. And while the concept is powered by a three cylinder turbo diesel power plant combined with two electric motors, the i8 will be offered in both electric and hybrid versions.
Rumors suggest that the Project i Coupe won’t be flying solo as BMW may be panning on an M version for this future model and it will most likely be called the M1.
UPDATE 03/14/11: The BMW i8 hybrid sports coupe was recently spotted by Bimmerpost undergoing cold-weather testing somewhere in Northern Europe. Word has it that the i8 hybrid sports coupe will now come with a gas engine as opposed to the previously held position of diesel engine variants. According to BMW’s research and development chief, Klaus Draeger, the company has big plans for the i8 sports hybrid coupe, one that involves being sold not just in Europe, but all over the world. Sounds good to hear, if you ask us. While we wait for the production version to arrive sometime in 2013, we can pass time by checking out these three testing videos after the jump.
UPDATE 05/27/11: BMW has unveiled a new video of the i8 set to be revealed in 2013. The video was filmed in Abu Dhabi and illustrates yet again what a cool car the i8 will be. Hit the jump for the video.
UPDATE 02/14/12: The upcoming BMW i8 has been caught testing one more time, this time revealing its gullwing doors.
UPDATE 06/19/12: Today we have a new rendering for you of the upcoming BMW i8.
Exterior and Interior
When BMW first announced it’s plans to put the Vision Efficient Dynamics into production, a company source said: "there will be less of the synthetic glass and more solid structure added to the final design." How can this be translated? The i8 will be built on an aluminum chassis which houses the powertrain and the passenger cell. This cell consists of high-strength, but extremely lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). It will be built at BMW’s Leipzig plant starting 2013.
2013 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Supercar
According to an unnamed "senior BMW authority out of Munich" speaking with InsideLine, the German automaker will indeed build a production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept that debuted last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. BMW is reportedly planning for a model run of between 5,000 and 10,000 units in 2013. We'll get to the details in a moment, but here's the best news: "That name that the marketing people forced on us [is] going to change for sure." Phew.
Apparently, BMW has no plans to ditch the radical plug-in hybrid powertrain, which put out 356 horsepower and a stonkin' 590 pound-feet of torque in the concept. That means we'll get something similar to the turbocharged three-cylinder diesel range extender and twin electric motors powered by a lithium polymer battery pack that was featured in Frankfurt. Sounds great so far, and BMW claims the performance will be even better than the 4.8-second 0 to 60 run quoted for the concept.
Naturally, some of the Vision's more outlandish exterior bits will go the way of the Dodo, but IL reports BMW's target of weight is still under 3,000 pounds, meaning that high-tech composites and construction techniques are a veritable lock. Price for this next-gen eco-friendly supercar? Nothing announced – but if you have to ask... well, you know the rest.