BMW produces the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid. The car was developed under BMW’s BMW i sub-brand, which was created to develop electrified vehicles and debuted with the all-electric i3 and plug-in-hybrid i8.
The i8 combined a mid-mounted 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor driving the front wheels. Its lightweight passenger cell used carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, helping give the car sports-car performance while retaining plug-in hybrid efficiency.
The production i8 was unveiled in 2013 and entered production in 2014. BMW built both a coupé and a two-seat roadster, with the roadster arriving for 2018. Production ended in June 2020 after 20,465 i8s had been made.
A common mix-up is confusing the manufacturer with BMW i, the sub-brand. BMW i identifies the vehicle line, but BMW is the German automaker that developed and produced the car. The i8 is also distinct from the fully electric BMW i3: the i8 has both an internal-combustion engine and an electric motor.