BMW i8 was first launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013 before being sold on the market from 2014. This model appeared in Vietnam in 2015 with a rolling price at that time of nearly 9 billion VND, becoming one of the rare and expensive electrified sports cars on the market.
The red BMW i8 that just appeared on the street continues to attract attention thanks to its outstanding exterior and design that still retains its modernity even though it has been more than a decade since its launch. The highlight of the model is the butterfly-style door and characteristic aerodynamic lines.
BMW i8 uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain combined with a 1.5L 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine and electric motor, producing a total power of 362 horsepower and a maximum torque of 570 Nm. Power is transmitted through a 6-speed automatic transmission, helping the car accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 4.4 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 250 km/h.
In pure electric mode, the BMW i8 can travel about 35 km at a maximum speed of 135 km/h. Although this specification is no longer outstanding compared to modern electric cars, this was once one of the strengths of the i8 when it was launched, marking a turning point for BMW in the process of electrification.
The interior of the BMW i8 is also highly appreciated for its futuristic design style, using many lightweight materials and integrating modern technologies at the time the car was introduced.
According to BMW, by 2019, more than 20,000 i8s had been sold globally, helping the model become the world's highest-selling plug-in hybrid sports car at that time.
Although it stopped production in 2020 to make way for new generation electric vehicles, the BMW i8 is still considered by many car lovers as a pioneering model, contributing to paving the way for the electricization trend in the high-end sports car segment.
