Automotive

BMW world tour includes American debut of i8 and i3 concepts

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BMW first showed the i8 Spyder Concept in the spring
BMW unveiled the latest version of the i3 over the summer
The latest i3 was unveiled at the opening of BMW's first i Store in London
The new i3 gets a new color and sustainable materials
BMW crafted the interior to be open and airy
The interior includes eucalyptus wood
The i3 interior's leather is colored "Cassia"
The first BMW i3 concept was shown at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
The i3 has an Andesite Silver and High-gloss Black exterior
The i3 is an all-electric city car
The BMW i Pedelec bike folded in back
The eucalyptus wood was sourced from sustainably managed forests, according to BMW
The i3 interior's leather is tanned with a sustainable agent made from olive leaves
The i3 is an all-electric city car
BMW first showed the i8 Spyder Concept in the spring
The i8 Spyder is a convertible hybrid
The interior combines plastic, carbon and orange leather elements
BMW designed the i8 Spyder interior around the driver
Information is displayed on an 8.8-inch screen
The i8 Spyder makes its North American debut in November
The doors open forward, pivoting around the A pillar axis
BMW uses a layering approach inside the i8 Spyder
A transparent glass panel in back reveals two kick scooters
The doors open forward, pivoting around the A pillar axis
In addition to being topless, the i8 is slightly shorter in length and wheelbase than the i8 hard-top
The i8's plug-in powertrain combines a 223-hp turbo three-cylinder gas engine in back with a 131-hp electric motor in front
The i8 can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in five seconds and travel 19 miles (30 km) on electricity alone
View gallery - 26 images

The world already saw the latest i3 city car concept in London and Paris and the i8 Spyder via a Web reveal earlier this year. North America, however, has yet to welcome the latest iterations of BMW's green concepts ashore. That will all change in a few weeks. BMW plans to bring both vehicles to New York, the only U.S. stop on its world "Born Electric" tour.

The Born Electric tour has already whisked through Rome, Dusseldorf and Tokyo, and it will land in New York on November 13 to 18 at 1095 Avenue of the Americas. In addition to showing the i8 Spyder and i3 concepts, BMW will use the United States' largest city as the backdrop for discussions about the future of urban mobility. It will host technological demonstrations and interactive displays during the event, which will be open to the public.

Tying in to the technological and sustainable focus of the greater event, BMW also plans to host a "hackathon." The contest will challenge developers to design apps based on addressing some of the most pressing environmental concerns of major cities. A panel of judges will pick winners based on the app's originality, their ability to clearly articulate what it does, and whether the app is native to iOS and Android operating systems. Those interested can find more information at http://sustainhack.eventbrite.com/#.

The first BMW i3 concept was shown at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

BMW says that the i3 and i8 will be the first electric and hybrid-electric production vehicles to be made primarily from carbon. Very different takes on sustainable transportation, the i3 is a small fully electric city car, while the i8 is a performance-oriented plug-in hybrid sports car. The i3 will be available for purchase in 2013 and the i8 in 2014.

For more information about the i3 and i8 designs, read our in-depth look at the concepts.

Source: BMW

View gallery - 26 images
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4 comments
YouAre
green concepts...urban mobility... carbon fibre ... sustainable transportation ... hybrid ... I thought that was about a bicycle. nice job, marketing department, a few dozens of smart apps and we will reach nirvana, no congested roads on the way anymore
Gargamoth
I like the i8, I hope it comes to America soon. Keep the i3 over there...
Vince Pack
YuraG - your comment speaks to the one dimensional intellect that would have us not solve any problem because it doesn't solve them all simultaneously. Traffic density is but a single issue out of literally dozens that plague our world's infrastructure. While this won't solve density issues, these type vehicles will reduce our use of fossil fuels, thus reducing CO2 production. Don't want to believe CO2 production is a problem? Ok, how about CO? Nobody likes that one. Benzene? That's another nasty one. How about all the awful by-products of crude oil refinement to get to the point of gasoline? Wouldn't the reduction of any of these warrant the development of "cleaner" energy sources in such a heavily used segment as transportation? Well, electric, and to a lesser degree hybrid vehicles do all of the above. Oh, and they reduce any single Marion's dependence on other nations' ability or willingness to sell from their oil supply. Oh, and the whole greenhouse gas thing, too...
Fretting Freddy the Ferret pressing the Fret
Major constituent of the car is carbon. Oh ho ho, I'd like to see the price.