BMW to produce Vision EfficientDynamics electrified supercar

Not to be outdone by Audi’s e-Tron, BMW’s next uber-sports car will be electric – or at least a hybrid. The company has confirmed plans to build its Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid sports car, shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year.

Several drivetrains are rumored for the carbon-fiber bodied, four-seat sportster. The show car used a plug-in diesel-hybrid powertrain feeding an all-wheel-drive system. A 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbodiesel engine was matched with two electric motors one driving each axle. This hybrid system used lithium-ion batteries. The powertrain produced 356 horsepower and a hefty 590 lb.-ft. of torque, and BMW claimed a 0-62 mph time of 4.8 seconds with top speed limited to 155 mph. Fuel economy is said to be 62.6 mpg on the European driving cycle.

Other rumored powertrains include the two-mode ActiveHybrid system from the BMW X6, an all-gas powertrain from the M3, and an all-electric version.

While carbon fiber has proven too expensive to produce for most cars, BMW has said that electric vehicles tip the scales in carbon-fiber’s favour. Because the material saves so much weight in the body, the batteries can be smaller, partially offsetting the additional cost, the company says.

When it eventually goes into production, the car is expected to be called the i1 or the i100, and it will cost $180,000 to $250,000, putting closer to the price territory of Ferraris and Lamborghinis, well above the BMW’s last flagship sports car, the Z8.