We were in attendance during today’s unveiling of the BMWi i3 & i8 Concepts and are digesting all of the information we obtained. While we gain some composure and put pen to paper or more so in our case fingers to keys- enjoy the photos from the Frankfurt. (Full gallery after the break)
There are so many details and ideas within the new cars that’s it’s almost impossible not to gloss over some of the most interesting technologies around them. Smart navigation, self parking, congestion mode, the list goes on. So to give you a better look at the cars we’ve compiled list of the more interesting official videos about the new BMWi concepts.
BMWi has just released the first videos of the new i3 and i8 moving under their own power. The i3 (known as the megacity for years now) is the all electric of the two while the i8 puts power down via tri-turbo hybrid. Both are exceptionally light (2750 lbs for the i3 and 3250 for the i8) and have innovative details throughout.
Welcome to the future according to BMW. Today BMW takes the wraps off of not only a couple of concepts (the BMW i3 and i8) but an entire brand and a new way to sell, lease and share cars. In fact it’s an entirely new way to use and interact with mobility according to BMW.
We’ll have much more later today (including our thoughts of the concept in person) but until then click through to read the entire press release. And as someone who has read a good amount of automotive releases over the years, this is one of the most interesting and important you’ll ever see out of BMW. In short, it may be long but it’s a must read in our opinion.
(Official Release)
BMW i – introduction.
The world, and with it the sphere of personal mobility, is experiencing a period of radical environmental, economic and social change. A rash of global developments such as climate change, the dwindling availability of resources and increasing urbanisation call for a new balance between the demands of the planet and the desires of the individual. Fresh solutions are required to underpin personal and, most importantly, sustainable mobility. The BMW Group has responded to this situation with the creation of a sub-brand which meets the changing needs of customers head-on: BMW i.
While these are technically concepts, they are functionally very similar to the forthcoming production cars. And because of that we wanted to take a second and focus on the stats of each. One thing to note is that these are two very difference cars and very different propulsion concepts. You can see that born out in the numbers after the break.
What’s especially impressive here is the weight. And you’d expect that given the carbon fiber construction. But still, 2756 lbs for a modern electric car is pretty incredible. And even the i8 with it’s battery pack and tri-turbo engine looks impressive at 3256 lbs.
What began as a bet with myself turned into one heck of a day, one of the most memorable solo days in a car not on a track in a long time. The “bet” or shall we call it a race- was if I could beat high speed rail back home after picking up an unnamed press demonstrator in Munich. Mind you I was taking the Inter City Express, or ICE for short, Germany’s version of a bullet train. According to the DB schedule and the website’s estimates my trip would be just over 90 minutes including a transfer. ViaMichelin.com estimated my time in the car on the return trip to be 10 minutes longer- hog wash!
I happened to miss the afternoon rush hour escape from Munich thanks to careful planning. This plan centered around my hopes to get on the autobahn when it was after dinner and most Bavarians would be settling down for the night at home after eating a heavy dinner. I’d like to think of my plan as a smart one and smart people tend to think alike (or so people say), so to my surprise I saw some headlights I was not familiar with in my dazzle dipped rear view. These lights were insanely bright, looked very white and LED lit, as the car closed on me I saw squared off Angel Eyes. Could this be my first real life encounter with a moving F30 3 Series?
BMW today announced the launch of its short film series titled, “Alter Egos.” Revealing the hidden “alter egos” of personalities such as Donna Karan, Ed Norton, Kevin Bacon, Glenn O’Brien, Tory Burch and David Yurman, the films utilize storytelling to mark the launch of the redesigned BMW 6 Series. The films will be distributed on the Plum Television and Online Network, and will run through October 2011.
The F20 has been panned by many BMW fans for its exterior looks while being universally praised for it’s interior. And while we can understand the reaction, it’s slowly but surely starting to look better each time we see it. And BMW UK is making sure that continues with this latest video of the new 118i five door finished in black with a nice set of alloys.
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We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: BF Feature, BMW "City", BMWi, Concept, Design, Events, i3, i8, Technology, Vision Jul 29th, 2011 1 Comment 
