The BMW i8 on sale in the UAE but delivery is delayed until April 2015. Still, here’s your chance to lust after the hybrid sports car.
If you were hoping to get into a new BMW i8 this summer, think again – it’s on sale but the waiting list for delivery in the UAE is backed up to April 2015.
The car is being delivered a year late worldwide, due to high global demand, BMW says.
Why the hype? It’s BMW’s first plug-in hybrid sports car and the concept version was featured in the Tom Cruise movie Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and will also star in Steven Spielberg’s Halle Berry starring TV series, Extant. It is more fuel-efficient than the Toyota Prius and can accelerate faster than a Porsche 911.
Specifications
- Price: 750 – 800,000 AED ($204,187 – 217,800) from AGMC in the UAE.
- Cabin: 2+2 seater with ‘scissor’ doors
- Engine: A 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged gas engine, producing 228 horsepower (a variation on the Mini Cooper motor) and the eDrive electric motor, producing 129 horsepower.
- Body: The lightweight chassis is made mainly from aluminum. The windshield, top, doors and fenders are made from polycarbonate glass.
- Running: Range is up to 37km on electric battery (high voltage lithium-ion) or 600km overall, with a fuel capacity of 42 liters. It can be recharged at a conventional household power socket, at a BMW i Wallbox or at a public charging station; a full recharge takes up to 3.5 hours.
- Speed: 0 – 100 km/ hour in 4.6 seconds. Top speed 250 km/ hour or 120 km/ hour in electric mode.
- Gadgets: Park distance control, cruise control system, rain sensor, intelligent emergency call function, driver assistance package with high beam assistant, rear view camera, surround view, speed limit info includes no passing info display, collision warning with pedestrian recognition and brake function.
