A Visionary – The BMW i8 | Neue Klasse Origins.
The thing about BMW is that its lineup is vast. In the previous videos, which I recommend you check out, by the way, I was stood next to the 1960s Neya Classer, which propelled BMW into the future. And now I’m standing next to a scissor coupe. That is the future. My name is Mike from BMW’s YouTube channel, and in this video, we’re going to talk about how the i8 propelled BMW into the electric future of the newer Classer. This is probably one of the more interesting creations from BMW’s back catalog. Back when this thing came out, BMW were exploring the idea of electrifying their range of products. And they started off with a small city car, the i3. But they didn’t want that technology to only be applied to that segment. They wanted to show that the other end of the spectrum, a sports car, can also take on the electrified world. And so they did so by giving us this, the BMW i8. The i8 was the first of its kind, a common theme when you look back at all the videos we’ve so far made. But this one literally was the first ever plug-in sports car hybrid. It was a technology that propelled BMW’s idea of sheer driving pleasure forward into the future, proving the sustainability and performance do not have to be mutually exclusive. And what a start the i8 was. It utilized a very clever hybrid system of a small 1.5 L 3-cylinder engine with a big turbo mated to a battery situated in the middle. M1, I’m thinking of you here. The total output was supercar territory. 373 brake horsepower propelling this thing to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. That is quick with a top speed of 155 mph, prime for the autobon. It’s worth noting though that while today this hybrid technology is seen as the norm in modernday performance cars such as the BMW XM, it very much wasn’t 12 years ago when this thing was brand new. It was a totally new technology and it proved that BMW can continue to adapt to provide an updated promise to their Freder and Fahren. The technology used to make this car as capable as it is stretches further than just the powertrain. In fact, if I open this up, oh yeah, we get to reveal its core. This car has a carbon fiber chassis, a brand new technology back in the 2010s, which was first trial with the i3 and then here in the i8 and it’s scissor doors. Come on, they’re fantastic. It real supercar levels worth of car ownership experience. Getting into this thing can be quite amusing because you have to like slide into it. But once you do get inside of it, we it’s very much a familiar story because the lessons of the past carried on into the i8. Again, the dash is focusing the driver, a signature BMW interior quirk, but you’re met by modern day technology such as the most complex iDrive you could have gotten at the time. I think this is the era of the car where the car became more than just an object to get you about. It became smarter than your smartphone. These things could really help you out as you drive along, but it also gave you the technological necessities you need to have a comfortable drive, a comfortable car to live with. It also came with rear seats, so again, if you had a family, young kids specifically, they could comfortably fit in the back of your incredible sports car with scissor doors. When the i8 was first released, the press absolutely loved it. This thing won more awards for BMW as car of the year than just about anything that came before it. It is the result of 60 years of progress. 60 years of trying to understand and develop the ultimate driving machine, a promise set out by the Nea Classer back in the 1960s. And here it is, the BMW i8. This is the last video of this series on the BMW’s YouTube channel. So, thank you for having me. If you enjoyed, let me know what you think about the i8 down in the comments below. And maybe I’ll see you in another video. Take care. If you’ve enjoyed my BMW Classic deep dive, perhaps you’ll enjoy the other videos I’ve made here during my time at the BMW Classic facility. You can find those on this hand side of your screen. And as always, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe.
The BMW i8 was a moonshot into the world of electric sportiness in the early 2000s – a hybrid sports car that boldly embraced electrified performance and showed the world what the future could hold. Its sculptural design and visionary spirit captured the essence of progress in carbon and in lights.
🎯 Key moments:
00:00 Intro
00:40 The origin of the BMW i8.
01:05 The first plug-in hybrid sportscar.
01:27 The engine concept.
02:22 Carbon fiber: The interior.
03:38 Your turn!
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