BMW i8 To Get Gasoline Engine
BMW VED Concept
At the beginning of this week, the German automaker BMW announced the new “i” sub-brand that at first will roll out two cars: the i3 and the i8. According to AutoCar, the latter will not be available as a diesel-electric hybrid, as has been the case with the Vision EfficientDynamics concept prototype which will be the foundation of the new i8 supercar.
The BMW i8 will be launched sometime in 2013 and will be powered by a gas engine, instead of a diesel. The main reason behind this decision is that BMW wants to sell the car all over the world and diesel-powered cars are only popular in Europe.
Klaus Draeger, BMW’s head of research, didn’t say what engine will the i8 get, but regardless of the company’s choice, it will not be as efficient as the 3-cylinder turbodiesel that we saw on the Vision EfficientDynamics concept. That car had a 1.5-liter engine that produced 161 hp (163 PS / 120 kW) and 214 lb.-ft (290 Nm) of torque. Coupled with the electric motor, the VED had a total power output of 323 hp (328 PS / 241 kW) and did 62.5 mpg (3.76 liters / 100 km) and CO2 emissions of only 99 g/km.
Source: Autocar via BMWblog via WCF
Post tags: Tags: bmw i8, Green, vehicle efficient dynamics
