Videos - BMW shows you how the i8 was designed and developed

12/08/2013 - 13:08 | ,  ,   | Anjan Ravi

The BMW i8 is the next product from the BMW i range of electric and hybrid vehicles. The German car maker will show us the production spec i8 at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show which is scheduled to open for the media on September 10.

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The company has now released these videos which take you through the design and development of the hybrid supercar. The first video shows you the wind tunnel test of the i8. Being a hybrid supercar, aerodynamics is one of the most important aspects that the engineers have to get right. The air scoop present on the hood of the i8 is not only a cosmetic feature, it actively distributes air over the windshield and on to the roof of the vehicle.

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In the next two videos, we are taken through the design process of the i8. The videos detail the CAD model of the i8 and then move on to the clay model which is later weighed on a weighing bridge.

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Thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber, BMW say that the i8 has an unladed weight of 1,490kg. A 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor produces a total power of 362bhp and 570Nm of torque. The 0-100km/h time is pegged at sub 4.5 seconds while the top speed is rated at 250km/h. All this while managing an average of 40km/l!

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