BMW i8 Hybrid sportcar, 2012

A usual presence at auto shows around the world, the future BMW hybrid sportcar, i8, makes another appearance at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The first iteration of the i8 premiered back in 2009 at the Frankfurt Auto Show and it was initially marketed under the Vision EfficientDynamics name.
 During the recent , a BMW representative confirmed the Spyder does not even have a functioning soft-top, or any form of weather protection.Yet considering the incredible technology lurking within the i8, BMW’s engineering team will hardly be stumped if called upon to develop a working top.

The BMW i8 Spyder's plug-in hybrid technology like the i8 coupe, this car has a plug-in hybrid powertrain to produce supercar performance for claimed supermini emissions.A 129bhp electric motor drives the front wheels, while a three-cylinder turbo petrol engine sends 220bhp to the back axle. Total system output is 349bhp and 406lb ft of torque. Which explains why BMW is quoting 0-62mph in 5.0sec and a limited 155mph top speed.Yet the two-seater i8 Spyder is claimed to manage 94mpg on the European test cycle (although today's announcement doesn't say whether that's the combined total figure or an economy on the easier extra-urban cycle). The plug-in hybrid will reportedly weigh in at 3,197 lbs with a 2+2 seating configuration and pop-up door design. Powering the i8 will be a 170-hp electric motor driving the front wheels, while a turbocharged 1.5L three-cylinder powers the rear wheels with 223-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.

Despite earlier rumors that a non-hybrid, M-variant of the i8 would be in production, ideas of a V8- or V10-powered i8 has been tossed out the window. That’s no real surprise as BMW really wishes to push the future of its technology with their i-model lineup.