BMW i8 With Gorilla Glass To See Most Sales In US?
Originally published on EV Obsession.
The production version of the BMW i8 is set to be unveiled at the 2013 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show.
Early reports indicate that BMW is expecting its largest markets to be the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Interestingly, China, which is widely recognized as a huge market for luxury vehicles, is not on that list.
“The US will be by far the largest sales market for the i8,” Hendrik Wenders, the BMW i8’s product manager told a German-language version of Automotive News Europe.
Notably, the BMW i8 is also supposed to be the first car ever (of any kind) to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Super-strong Gorilla Glass has only been used on consumer electronics so far. SlashGear has some more info:
However, while we expected the windows and windshield to get the Gorilla Glass treatment, it seems BMW is only outfitting the rear window with Gorilla Glass. The car maker says this is for sound-dampening purposes, as the glass will consist of two 0.7mm layers with an acoustic sheet in the middle.
Gorilla Glass is also lighter than traditional glass, making the BMW i8 ever so lighter this time around, compared to if it used traditional glass. The i8 weighs less than 3,300 pounds, thanks to the Gorilla Glass as well as a few carbon fiber components. Of course, though, the hybrid powertrain is rather heavy, so the car still isn’t the lightest around.
The BMW i8 plug-in hybrid electric car is supposed to go on sale in 50 countries in 2014.
The BMW i8, formerly known as the i8 Spyder, won the North American Concept Car of the Year award in 2012 and the Best Production Preview Vehicle award this year.
Sign up for CleanTechnica's Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott's in-depth analyses and high level summaries, sign up for our daily newsletter, and follow us on Google News!
Whether you have solar power or not, please complete our latest solar power survey.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one on top stories of the week if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy
