BMW i8’s tech finally trickles down to regular cars
When it hit the market, the BMW i8 was lauded for its awesome looks and futuristic technology.
A few years later, the i8’s advanced powertrains and unique production methods have trickled down to regular cars in the BMW Group lineup.
That pattern describes exactly what a halo car should be: a car that sits on top of an automaker’s lineup that shines a positive light on all other cars in the family.
A halo car represents the very best of what is offered from a brand. It should excite potential customers and give them a peek into what the future holds, with the thought that the things that make the halo car so special will end up in regular cars as well one day.
The i8’s halo effect started in the 7 Series, where BMW applied the lessons it learned in making the i8’s (and i3’s) carbon-fibre passenger cell to the large luxury sedan.
At the time of its introduction, the latest generation 7 Series sported more carbon fibre than in any massproduced car to date. The creation of the i8 also contributed to the devel- opment of carbon-fibre parts on M2, M3 and M4.
The i8’s trickle-down effect is continuing with the hybrid propulsion in three cars: the 330e, the 740e xDrive and the X5 xDrive40e. All models use a hybrid powertrain comprised of a turbocharged fourcylinder and an electric motor.
Speaking with Jose Guerrero, prod- uct manager for BMW i and BMW M, he explained that the main focus for BMW is to not let the new hybrid vehicles feel like something boring to drive, like a Toyota Prius.
To do that, they looked to the exhilarating BMW i8, a car commonly described as a blast to drive despite its relatively low power numbers (357 horsepower). The fun-to-drive nature comes through an e-Boost feature that uses the electric motors to provide extra acceleration. At the same time, the BMW hybrids cars are extremely fuel friendly.
The 330e earns 3.3 L/100 km, the 740e xDrive gets 3.7 L/100 km and the X5 xDrive40e earns 4.2 L/100 km according to the U.S. EPA (Natural Resources Canada figures were not available for these models). These BMW hybrids can be plugged in and have an all-electric range of 23 kilometres on a single charge.
When the on-board battery is depleted, the car acts like a normal hybrid BMW, with low fuel consumption.
Without a charge, the 330e earns 7.8 L/100 km combined, the 740Le xDrive earns 8.7 L/100 km combined and the X5 eDrive40e gets 9.8 L/100 km combined.
Finally, Guerrero explained that the i8 actually has an impact on other BMW Group vehicles, noting the just revealed MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is practically a backwards i8.
The new MINI uses a turbocharged three-cylinder engine to power the front axle and an electric motor to power the rear axle. Like the rest of the hybrids mentioned, it can be plugged in and is capable of getting 38.6 kilometres on a charge.
In a way, the i8 gave birth to a whole range of new BMWs (and even a MINI), be it exciting sports cars, extremely advanced executive limos and mass-market hybrid offerings.
If there was any doubt before, it’s truly become a halo car for the automaker and will continue to preview future products from the brand.