Would You Pay $135,700 For A BMW Plug-In Hybrid Sports Car?

BMW unveiled one of the most widely anticipated cars in the brand’s history at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, the BMW i8. The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid 2+2 sports car unlike any car they’ve ever introduced, and it comes with an uber-high price tag that’s sure to raise more than a few eyebrows. The 2014 BMW i8 starts at $135,700 (plus destination and handling) when it arrives in US showrooms next spring, before any federal or state incentives for which the i8 may qualify.

This beckons the question: Would you pay $135,700 for a BMW plug-in hybrid sports car?

I’m sure some “green” celebs will be trading in their Fiskers and Teslas for one of these, but outside of the anomaly that is Hollywood, I’m curious who’d be willing to shell out this kind of money, when you can get into a Porsche 911 Turbo or a number of other exotics for the same price.. Or less!

Some might argue that other “green” supercars (ie. Porsche 918, Acura NSX) cost even more than the i8, but they’re supercars with the performance numbers and drop-dead good looks to back up the high prices they command. Sorry BMW, but the numbers you’re supplying just aren’t that impressive.. They look to be on-par with the Fisker Karma, which maybe is what they’re going for.

To me, the whole thing just seems a little misguided.. If you’re willing to drop $135K on a car, are you really concerned about getting 94 mpg? If I were heading up the i8 project, I’d shave 1000lbs off of the car, tune it for better off-the-line performance (the beauty of electric is instant torque), even if that causes the mileage to drop to around 50 mpg. You’d have a car that would be a hoot to drive, and it would provide a legitimate alternative to the other exotics on the market, while still “doing your part” for the planet.

Food for thought.. What do you think of the BMW i8? If you won the Powerball, would you buy one?

If you want to read BMW’s complete press release for the i8, click here.