Atzporsche:
The i8 is indeed a very cool car.. Like CH says, when's the last time anyone put a concept car up for sale? This thing looks very concept inside and out and it has the tech to back it all up. As a styling thing, I would ONLY be able to get one in black due to that busy rear... but I hope to see pics of it in black soon.
As for the 911 and Porsche development concerns, I don't think at all that this i8 will pose any danger to the future of the 911 series. It is a cult classic and in a different market than the i8. Furthermore, who's to say Porsche won't adapt and make the 911 more tech and hybrid in the future. After all they are very hard at work to come up with their own hybrid interpretation (Porsche Intelligence Engineering) and I don't see any reason why this tech and the 918 tech won't trickle down to the 911 to keep it fresh and cutting edge.
I give BMW credit for bringing this new I series on the markets.. It's quite daring but possibly very lucrative. I would like to see an i5 soon that will be able to become Germany's Taxi.
Atz, I totally agree - BMW should be given some kudos for finding a new and uniquely interesting design language to accompany their new i-eco division, and as you noted essentially producing the concept I saw in Frankfurt in 2011. Agree that this is not a 911 competitor, but - for the many 911 buyers who are essentially buying the image and do not need that last 20% of performance, the i8 could be an interesting option for similar money. Certainly if you had the two parked side by side, there is no question which car will get the most attention!
I will also be interested from our Germany-based members how the i8 scores on that all-important "social acceptance" score…. Will people give thumbs up because your i8 is so green, or the opposite because it looks like a typical planet-killing supercar???
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2011 Range Rover Sport S/C, 2009 Porsche 911S