Finally that day had arrived, and the world’s first BMW i8s (fuel consumption combined: 2.1–0.0 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 49–0 g/km) were handed over to customers at BMW Welt in Munich. The first eight customers from Germany received their BMW i8s as part of an official ceremony in which Roland Krüger, Head of Sales and Marketing Germany for the BMW Group, and Dr. Helmut Schramm, Head of Production Electric Vehicles at Plant Leipzig, presented them with the keys to their new cars.
That’s wasn’t all to mark the celebration, but BMW i8 had also scripted history for being the first production car to feature the ground-breaking BMW laser light.
An exclusive evening reception to mark the BMW i8 market launch, with celebrity guests, such as TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk and actor Thomas Kretschmann, rounded off the official vehicle presentation.
A necessary note meant to be brought to the notice, the high-intensity, energy-efficient full LED headlights are standard in the BMW i8, where the optional laser-boost feature extends its high-beam range to up to 600 metres, just doubling the reach of the LED high-beam headlights.
“In November of last year, we welcomed the first BMW i3 customers here at BMW Welt. Today, we are continuing the BMW i success story with the first eight BMW i8 customers worldwide. As ‘the first of a new era’, the BMW i8 combines the sustainable design of a carbon-fibre body with a powerful plug-in hybrid,” stated Roland Krüger. “This success would not be possible without our retail partners. We are delighted that our BMW i agents are accompanying us on the road to the future of mobility.”
The BMW i8 is the BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle.
BMW i8 deliveries will begin in all main international BMW Group markets in June.