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When the 2013 BMW i8 was released at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show 2013, it was always assured to be a hit partly because of the drawn-out development of the car which first appeared as a concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show building interest. Now, BMW has officially confirmed that the 2014 BMW i8 has been sold out for the 2014 model year. Unfortunately, no sales figures for the BMW i8 were released, but selling an entire year’s allocation in just a few months is quite impressive. The BMW i8is priced from €126,000 in Germany, while in the UK it has a base price of £99,125. In the United States, BMW will offer the i8 from US$135,700. There are nearly 10,000 orders for the i3 electric car, for which deliveries started in mid-November in Germany. The BMW i3 will arrive in U.S. dealerships in the second quarter of 2014. As a reminder, the BMW i8 features a plug-in hybrid powertrain featuring a 1.5-litre three-cylinder twin-turbocharged petrol engine developing 228bhp and 320Nm of torque that drives the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox and a synchronous electric motor developing 129bhp and 250Nm of torque that turns the front wheels via a two-stage automatic transmission. There’s also a 5 kWh lithium-ion high-voltage battery with liquid cooling. The car’s combined system output of 357bhp and 570Nm allows it to sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 250km/h. Average fuel economy is estimated at 2.5L/100 km - obviously, including the use of the battery.

Inside these pretty pictures is the new BMW i3. And if you haven't heard of it, the Bavarian automaker is heading full steam into Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the i3 will mark its foray in the segment. Under its 'i' sub brand, BMW will create two vehicles. The first - the i3 - was conceived to be an urban runabout - or MCV (Megacity Vehicle). A more mouth-watering i8 Spyder concept is scheduled to be launched at a later date. And we are keeping our fingers crossed that the production version will look just as stunning. Back to reality. Yes, the i3 is already on its way to its production run and will be on sale by next year. Much of the futuristic element of the concept has been inherited, and we must say it is one of the best looking EV so far - bar the sexy Tesla Roadster. BMW has vowed to make the i3 as 'liveable' as possible. Space for more than one - check. Proper seats - check. And there's the ingenious-looking cabin aperture, which does without the B-pillar for easier entrance into the cabin. Not bad at all. One of the most pressing question that must have popped into your mind by now - how far will it go on one full charge? On paper, it says 150km - a very usable range if you consider most of us in Singapore only do 50km daily. But what if those figures aren't reassuring enough? Or you need a longer range? BMW will offer an optional range extender, which will increase the total range to 300km. The minimalist interior design of the i3 is a fresh approach, and looks welcoming to us. The switch-gear looks straight from a sci-fi show, and seems easy to use too. Fans of the marque will be familiar with these ConnectedDrive controls. Look further and you will realise that there isn't a 'Sport' option on the drive select switch - proof that the i3 was meant to be a practical, economical city car after all. The whole package of the i3 looks pretty enticing. But if this is really the future of motoring, does it spell doom for adrenaline-pumping, mind blogging petrol-driven cars that we have been so accustomed to from day one? Jot down your thoughts below.

BMW and Boeing have signed a deal to conduct research on new ways of carbon fibre recycling and manufacturing. Carbon fibre is highly regarded as a material for the future of the aerospace and automobile industry due to its low density and high mass. Both companies have plans on the usage of carbon fibre in their upcoming products. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is made up of 50% carbon fibre while BMW's i3 and i8 electric models will feature a cabin furnished with similar materials when they are launched. Larry Schneider, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' vice-president of product development, said that the collaboration was an important step in developing the use and end use of carbon fibre materials. "It is especially important that we plan for the end of life for products made from carbon fibre. We want to look at ways to reclaim and reuse those materials to make new products," he said. The BMW logo is portrayed as the movement of an aircraft propeller with the white blades cutting through a blue sky. Hence, it is befitting to find an aircraft material being used on the German marque.