At the recent Engine of the Year Awards, the drive unit in the BMW i8 earned two class wins as well as being declared overall winner; with a further class win being garnered by the engine of the BMW M3 and BMW M4.
The BMW i8 unit was voted class winner for its BMW TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder gasoline engine, while the overall drive unit of the BMW i8 claimed a further class win as the best “new engine”.
Its combination of electric motor and petrol engine also earned it overall victory. In the 2.5 to 3.0-litre displacement category, the M TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol engine of the BMW M3 and BMW M4 came out on top.
This fourfold success for the BMW Group at the International Engine of the Year Awards 2015 furnishes further evidence of the performance potential of the Efficient Dynamics technology package, which since 2007 has enabled a continuous enhancement of driving pleasure while at the same time cutting fuel consumption and emissions.
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The International Engine of the Year Awards was launched in 1999, since when 66 class and overall wins have gone to engines developed for BMW models.
Each year an expert panel of judges, this time comprising 65 motoring journalists from 31 countries, selects the best engines in numerous categories.
The three-cylinder combustion engine in the BMW i8 develops 170 kW/231 hp and drives the rear wheels, while the 96 kW/131 hp electric motor draws its energy from a lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from a conventional domestic power socket, and sends its power to the front axle. This bespoke plug-in hybrid system, developed and produced by the BMW?Group, enables a range of up to 37 kilometres (23 miles) in the EU test cycle and a top speed of 120?km/h (75 mph) on electric power alone, coupled with a “glued-to-the-road” all-wheel driving experience headlined by powerful acceleration and a dynamically-biased distribution of power through keenly taken corners.
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