What's the news?
BMW i claims to have the 'largest worldwide market presence of any premium manufacturer of electric cars' and is celebrating this by initiating a new series of limited edition i8 models. The first makes its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the i8 Protonic Red Edition, which goes into production this July.
Exterior
The name gives the game away here, but it's basically all about the paint colour, Protonic Red, with contrast accents in Frozen Grey metallic. A set of 20-inch W-spoke '470' wheels are fitted, painted Orbit Grey metallic with the hubs in matt aluminium.
Interior
Inside, special seats and the colour scheme grab the attention right away. There are double lap seams in red for the seats, which also feature 'i8' embossing in the headrests, while red stitching is also found in the door and side trim panels. The door sill strips themselves have 'Protonic Red Edition' lettering and the doors get carbon fibre pull handles. More carbon can be found on new trim pieces for the centre console and instrument panel. Finally, there are grey seat belts, a unique gear selector finish and new floor mats with leather piping and red contrast stitching.
Mechanicals
No changes have been made to the i8's plugin hybrid powertrain for the special edition, so read our review of the regular BMW i8 for more on that.