Born Electric

The i8 is far more of a super-luxury car. It is not purely electric - it derives its fantastic performance from a gas as well as an electric power plant, but still achieves somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 MPG. The exterior boasts futuristic, cutting edge aesthetics and aggressive stance. Forget what you know about hybrids - the i8 is no frugal slouch when it comes to power - it can climb from 0 to 62 MPH in 4.6 seconds - that's .3 of a second better than the all-gasoline M3.

For most manufacturers, this would qualify as sustainability and call it a day. But for BMW it is only part of the beginning. The manufacturing process is also an achievement of eco-friendliness and efficiency. The Leipzig, Germany manufacturing plant that will produce the i vehicles will achieve a 70% savings on water consumption and a 50% savings on energy consumption per vehicle produced. 100% of the energy used in production of the BMW i vehicles will be renewable and there is even speculation that wind turbines will be built on site to reduce consumption and increase sustainability.

BMW i is a new, refreshing concept in sustainable mobility and a bold approach to vehicle drive system design. The BMW i3 Concept and the BMW i8 Concept, with their innovative and efficient drive systems, are manufacturing proof that future mobility can be both sustainable and dynamic.