The 2009 BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics concept previewed the production BMW i8. BMW unveiled the futuristic plug-in hybrid at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show as a showcase for lightweight construction, aerodynamic efficiency and electrified performance.
The concept used a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel engine alongside electric motors. Its production successor changed to a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid, but retained the central idea of combining sports-car performance with low emissions. The production i8 arrived in 2014 as part of BMW’s new BMW i sub-brand.
The BMW i8 was not the same car as the smaller, fully electric BMW i3, although both were developed under Project i and launched close together. The i8 used a carbon-fiber-reinforced passenger cell, a mid-mounted three-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels and an electric motor driving the front wheels, giving it all-wheel drive. Its styling also retained the concept’s dramatic proportions and upward-opening butterfly doors.