VisionEfficientdynamics
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BMW i8 production prototype goes dancing in a winter wonderland (video)
It's been almost a year since we last wrote about the BMW i8 being winter-tested and here it is again -- this time in production prototype form -- doing donuts (!) in the snow. This plug-in gasoline electric hybrid vehicle started life as the Vision EfficientDynamics, promising sub five-second 0 - 60mph times while still achieving an impressive 87mpg (2.7 liters per 100km). We last saw the i8 concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show but the sporty coupé with the funky gullwing-like doors isn't expected in BMW showrooms until sometime in 2014. So for now just sit back, relax and check out the video above.
BMW i8 prototype caught on video having fun in the snow
Grainy pictures are pretty neat, but spy videos of an unreleased car in motion are a little more titillating. That's what we have this morning, video of the BMW i8 concept car motoring around in the snow -- flanked by a series of rather more pedestrian Bavarian autos. The i8 is the auto formerly known as Vision EfficientDynamics, name shortened but concept kept the same: 62MPG from a vehicle that's still fun to drive and reasonably quick -- 0 to 62 in 4.8 seconds. The quality of the footage is perhaps a little low, but if anything that just adds to the excitement.
BMW launches new 'i' brand focused on electrification, lower-case letters
BMW already has one of the shortest names on the auto front, but it's about to get shorter. The company has just launched "i," a sub-marque much like the company's M cars but, rather than focusing on performance, highlighting new technology to create cars that are "good for us" while also being "good for our planet." It's what the company calls "premium mobility," cars for daily commuting that will let you "enjoy the finer things in life" without killing the planet in the process. The first two cars are the i3 (formerly known as the Megacity) and the i8 (the auto formerly known as Vision EfficientDynamics), both of which are said to be as fun to drive as a current car but much more efficient thanks to composite construction and electrified powertrains. Additionally, the company is also working with the My City Way apps, which cover 40 cities in the US and that many abroad, offering traffic cameras, POIs, and even public transit info -- a little odd for a car company. The company is pledging that we'll see these "born electric" cars in production by 2013 and coyly specifies that three is not the smallest number nor eight the largest, meaning we should expect other models to fill that gap -- just like the company's current alphanumeric lineup. We'll surely be learning more about these cars at Geneva in a few weeks, and if you think BMW is just being trendy using the lower-case i moniker, it did launch its iDrive controller back in September of 2001 -- a month before the iPod really made "i" super trendy. %Gallery-117241%
BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics concept won't look a tenth this wild when it hits the streets
We hate concept cars. Year after year we see new concept cars more fantastical and amazing than the last, and year after year we see cars hit the market that have had all the magic ripped out of them by safety regulations and market realities. The newly unveiled Vision EfficientDynamics car from BMW is mainly here to show us BMW's new diesel-based plug-in hybrid drive system. But it's also here to annoy us. Video is after the break.
