2016 BMW i8

With its flamboyantly futuristic styling and butterfly hinged doors, BMW's i8 is a glimpse of future supercars, today. Its jaw-dropping styling is backed by cutting-edge chassis and powertrain technology, allowing this German machine to be as eco-friendly as it is impressive.

Launched just last year, the BMW i8 carries over into 2016 unchanged.

Where the i3 city car was designed first as an electric car with an available onboard generator, the i8 is offered exclusively as a plug-in hybrid. The main engine of the i8 is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo, similar in nature to the one featured in the Mini Cooper, but here it's been tuned to produce an incredible 228 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque; it's paired to a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. At the front of the vehicle is a 129-hp, 184 lb-ft of torque electric engine. While most electric cars use a direct drive transmission, the i8's front electric motor has a two-speed unit.

This complex arrangement allows the i8 to be front-wheel drive when operating as an EV, rear-wheel drive when cruising, and all-wheel drive when maximum thrust is needed. The total power of the setup is 357 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. Because the i8's battery pack is a smallish 7.1 kWh lithium-ion pack (compare that to the 30 kWh of the upgraded Nissan Leaf) it can only travel 24 km before needing to be charged again.

It'll hit 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds making it the quickest plug-in hybrid vehicle on the market, now that the LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Hybrid have ceased production. For reference, that's about as quick as the BMW M4.

With an asking price of $152,000, the i8 comes fully loaded; the only options are a choice of interior "worlds" which feature different premium materials. The base Neso World gets recycled fabric seats. The Carpo World adds extended leather upholstery to the dash and doors, plus leather-trimmed seats for a cost of $2,500. The range-topping Halo World features rich Dalbergia Brown leather plus with cloth accents and blue stitched seats, blue interior trim, and blue seat belts. This package will set buyers back an additional $1,000. Regardless of the selected package, the interior is finely crafted and delivers a real sense of occasion. The i8 offers a pair of rear jump seats, but accommodations are similar to that of a Porsche 911 - best left to kids and soft bags. A tiny 140 litre trunk sits beneath the glass tailgate.

Standard equipment for the i8 includes LED lights, adaptive dampers, a 360-degree parking camera, full TFT instrument cluster, forward collision warning, 20-inch wheels, head-up display, automatic high beams, and navigation. i8s also get in-car Internet with real-time traffic updates, plus BMW's nifty Remote Services functionality which allows owners to lock and unlock their doors, heat and cool the interior, and track the vehicle's range and charging status via a mobile device.