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Viknesh Vijayenthiran

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Vik is an Editor at High Gear Media and contributor for a number of sites within the High Gear Media network. He was a co-founder of... More

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BMW i

HI-RES GALLERY: BMW i

We’ve had a pretty good idea as to what the upcoming BMW i8 supercar, the production version of 2009’s Vision EfficientDynamics concept car, would look like thanks to the reveal of the original concept and subsequent prototypes. Then, just this week, BMW announced its eco-focused ‘i’ sub-brand and confirmed the i8 name for its new supercar along with the release of these teaser sketches.

What we don’t know is what powertrain is destined to appear in the future BMW supercar. Both the Vision EfficientDynamics concept and prototypes have been fitted with a plug-in hybrid system. In this case, a combination of a three-cylinder turbodiesel with a hybrid synchronous motor at the front axle and a full-hybrid engine at the rear axle, enabling an overall system output of 328 horsepower.

However, for production, the i8 will almost certainly come with a gasoline engine with more than three cylinders. The information was revealed by the automaker’s R&D chief Klaus Draeger who spoke recently with Autocar.

Draeger explained that the i8 will be a global model and that diesel was largely relevant to European markets only.

The BMW i8 has been confirmed for sale in Europe by October of 2013, which means the car will likely reach U.S. shores in time for the 2014 model year. As BMW’s flagship, pricing won’t be cheap, with early estimates hovering around the $200,000 mark. This is not surprising given its likely competition and advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

Prototypes of the i8 are already testing. You can view spy shots of the car in our previous post by clicking here.

[Autocar]