At the ongoing New York auto show, the BMW i8 has been declared the 2015 World Green Car. BMW’s hybrid sportscar was chosen from an initial list of 10 new vehicles from across the globe. It finally boiled down to three cars – the BMW i8, the Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid and the Volkswagen Golf GTE.
To best judge the advanced and complex ‘green’ technologies, five experts in the field were appointed for the review procedure, before the judging panel consisting of 75 automotive journalists from around the world, got to vote. Finally, the ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.
To be eligible for the World Green Car award, a vehicle had to be all-new, or substantially revised, in production and a minimum of 10 units should have been sold or leased out in at least one major market, during the period beginning January 1, 2014 and ending May 31, 2015. Emissions, fuel consumption, and the advanced nature of the powertrain used, were all taken into consideration.
The BMW i8 was lauded for the fact that it was able to deliver a lot of enjoyment, while also scoring high for its environment-friendly credentials.
The car has recently been launched in India priced at Rs 2.29 crore (ex-showroom, India).
Uday Singh
Lenny D'sa
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
