BMW i8 plug-in hybrid

Last Thursday BMW began rolling out the i8 plug-in Hybrid which is set to rival Tesla Motors Inc. and is shaking up the luxury market for alternative powertrain vehicles. The head of  sales and marketing for BMW stated "the i8 is a brand shaper". 

Priced at 126,000 euro ($135.000) BMW's most expensive model combines a lightweight carbon-fiber frame with an electric motor making the car more fuel efficient than the Toyota Prius and can accelerate faster than the Porsche 911.

The i8 plug-in Hybrid's main competition will be Tesla's model S priced from 65,700 euros in Germany. A Frankfurt based analyst at Bankhaus Metzler said that Tesla will win over consumers who would normally purchase a BMW because Tesla is expected to be the biggest innovators. In Germany car buyers are already lining up to test drive the U.S. made Tesla Model S Sedan which is the brands only car.