What’s this then?

This futuristic looking machine is the BMW i8 and it can be yours for €109,950.

What’s so special about it?

The BMW i8 is the world’s first plug-in hybrid supercar. It is the supercar you can actually afford to run, if you can afford to buy it in the first place.

Any standout design features?

The whole car stands out as one glorious design study. The exterior has been designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. The kidney grilles are almost completely closed off, the bonnet is low slung and the underneath is sealed. There are air ducts between the lights and deck lid. In fact the car is designed for air to run through it as well as over it, hence the air chutes and lack of vents (well, apart from the very obvious one on the aluminum bonnet).

And one of the coolest design features of the BMW i8 is the super cool scissor doors.

And what powers this BMW i8?

This is the first plug-in hybrid vehicle manufactured by the BMW Group. The combination of an electric motor and a powerful petrol engine provides the foundation for the BMW i8. The 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit is mated to a synchronous electric motor with plug-in lithium ion battery pack.

The BMW i8 has a top speed of 250km/h and goes 0 to 100km/h in a blistering 4.4 seconds.

Does the BMW i8 have any luxurious touches?

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For that price you’d expect it to be dripping in gold but the luxurious touches are thankfully a bit more subtle than that. The particular model features gorgeous 20-inch BMW i W-spoke alloy wheels and adaptive LED headlights.

Inside, the seats are upholstered in Carum Grey BMW i Spheric leather with a Sitka cloth accent and there is a black leather sports steering wheel with Satin Silver contrasting trim. You also get sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors, Driving Assistant with surround view, a Head-Up Display and a Harman Kardon loudspeaker system.

But who would drive this car?

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Somebody who wants a technologically advanced car that looks like nothing else on the road but also wants to keep the running costs low – the BMW i8 has a combined fuel economy figure of 2.1 litres/100km and falls into tax band A1, which means it is just €170 to tax a year. Bargain!