BMW i8: How a ‘Future Car’ stood the test of time

Back in the day, if you had googled "Future Cars" when Nokia still wore the crown of the best mobile phone in the market, chances are you would stumble upon photos of either flying cars, cars shaped like a blob, cars with comically large aerodynamic fins and glowing wheels or, the concept version of the BMW i8 – a classic of the future.

The i8 comes to life from BMW's "Project i," a division of BMW formed to lower emissions and make electric BMWs a reality. Designed by Richard Kim, the model was unveiled in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show as the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept vehicle. 

Four years later, the model went into production and was renamed the 'i8.' 

Fast forward to 2024. Hybrid supercars have become the norm and the plug-in hybrid i8 stands as a symbolic sports car which introduced the segment to the petrol-electric renaissance.

With its 1500cc three-cylinder turbocharged engine and synchronous AC motor, the i8 was never meant to be the take on supercars. It's more of an eye candy with bold curves and a "fast" design language.

It does not end with the curves, however, the dihedral butterfly doors which, once they go up, start to enter supercar territory with the design language. In classic BMW fashion, the interior feels familiar like any other model in their lineup from the time, and the kidney grill gets a modern no frill muted design.

The featured i8 is owned by Abdullah Zarir Beg, an avid enthusiast and the owner of a vehicle dealership. He has been regularly driving the i8 around Dhaka for more than a year now.

"It's one of the most user-friendly sports cars I've ever owned," Abdullah mentioned, "Despite looking cramped for a 4-seater from the outside, the i8 surprisingly ensures a comfortable riding experience for both the driver and the passengers."

Although the i8 is an unofficial BMW sports car, the maintenance isn't too costly as per Abdullah. Spare parts pricing is similar to other 2014 BMWs. Besides, like BMW's i models were meant to be, it's very economical on fuel as well.

However, his favourite feature is actually the butterfly doors which he mentioned while fondly describing how he loves "the sound they make when they go up." To date, however, he hasn't done much to the i8 apart from repainting the model into this amazing shade of bronze orange. This unit originally came in white. 

The i8 went off production in June 2020. As for present times, BMW's "Project i" has been renamed to "BMW i" where the i8 itself pushed the division into becoming a completely new sub-brand of BMW where now, they deal with Electric Vehicles (EVs) only. 

In 2023, Executive Motors Bangladesh, the authorised distributor of BMW in Bangladesh, launched the BMW-i in Bangladesh with the iX3 as the first model in their lineup. 

Specifications:

Engine: 1500cc turbocharged inline-3, 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Combined Power: 357 bhp

Combined Torque: 569 Nm