BMW i8 is priced at Rs 2.29 crore 

German luxury car maker BMW, on Wednesday, introduced its new high-end hybrid sports car i8. Launched at a function here, the car is the first high-performance plug-in hybrid from its sub-brand BMW i8

Priced at a steep Rs.2.29 crore, the car is available in BMW i dealerships in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai as a completely built-up unit.

“The car was showcased in New Delhi as a concept car four years ago. These vehicles have been designed since 2007 as ‘Project i’ — sustainable mobility solutions. This iconic change is inevitable,” BMW Group India President Philipp von Sahr said at the launch.

The intelligent plug-in hybrid system in the BMW i8 combines benefits of an electric motor and a petrol engine. The electric drive is powered by a 96 kW (131 hp) lithium-ion battery located on the front axle while the rear axle is driven by BMW TwinPower 1.5 litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 170 kW (231 hp) peak performance. The two units together deliver 362 hp, and the car can accelerate from zero to 100 km in 4.4 seconds.

On battery power, it reaches 120 kilometres per hour (kmph) with a range of 35 kilometres. With the combustion engine, the electric motor takes it to 250 kmph. The average fuel consumption is at 47.45 km a litre and carbon dioxide emission is at 50.36 g/km.

“Most futuristic technologies used in the BMW i8 are already implemented in current BMW models in some form or other that enable enhanced performance and lower emissions,’’ he said.

BMW i to date had sold more than 18,000 cars worldwide, Mr. von Sahr said, adding that the Indian market was still at a nascent stage for electric and hybrid vehicles.

                 

                                                            BMW K 1300s

It may look largely the same as the outgoing model but the latest version of BMW’s rocketship K1300s has had a host of small changes that add up to a much better bike all round. With a claimed 175 bhp and some seriously clever electronically-adjustable suspension, traction control and a long list of options to choose from, BMW has built a bike that can handle almost everything. And don’t forget the new K-series range now has proper indicators rather than the confusing triple switches of old.

                                                                 Engine

The motor is the biggest single area of improvement. Engineering development was handed over to the spanner magicians at Ricardo – the same firm that designed the gearbox for the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron hypercar. This is the first time BMW has worked with Ricardo on one of its bikes. The result is a claimed 175bhp from an increased 1293cc four-cylinder motor that is much smoother with bundles of power and torque. It’s one of the best big-capacity motors on the road today combining lovely refinement with a racing engine snarl when pushed. And yes, it’s very, very, very fast.

                                                 
                                                Value & Running Costs

At INR 9.7 lakhs for the stock model without ABS there is no getting away from the fact that the BMW K1300S is not a cheap bike…add in the essential ABS and the price hits INR 10.5 Lakhs. From there on in adding options obviously just adds more and more to the costs. ESA II must be on the list as it transforms the bike. BMW do a Dynamic Pack which puts ABS and ASC traction control together for INR 36,000 and saves INR 5000. So to get ABS, ASC and ESA II adds almost INR 95000 to the INR 9.7 lakhs cost. You do get a lot of bike for the money however but it’s still a lot of cash compared to the likes of a Suzuki Hayabusa.

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