BMW i8 named UK Car of the Year
THE BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car has been announced as the overall winner of the 2015 UK Car of the Year award.
The BMW i8 Hybrid was branded a 'game changer' by judges at the UK Car of the Year awards
Judged by a panel of 27 of Britain’s most-read motoring journalists, the awards are divided into 12 separate categories, with the i8 overall winner then chosen by the jury.
The individual category awards went to:
Best City Car – Renault Twingo
Best Supermini – Skoda Fabia
Best Small Hatch – Citroën C4 Cactus
Best Family Car – Ford Mondeo
Best Executive Car – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Best Luxury Car – Rolls-Royce Ghost
Best Estate Car – Volkswagen Passat
Best MPV – BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
Best 4x4 – Porsche Macan
Best Coupé – Jaguar F-TYPE
Best Open Top Car – Porsche Boxster GTS
Best Performance Car – BMW i8
The four-seat i8 – which is powered by a three-cylinder, 1.5-litre engine in combination with a 96kW electric motor – was considered an important breakthrough by the judges (14 of the 27 selected it as their first choice), not only in the performance car segment, but also as an example of how electric-powered motoring can actually be fun, contrary to the accepted wisdom in the industry and among consumers.
“The automotive industry has seen many hybrid models in recent years, but nothing quite like the i8,” said John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards, and Editor of ukcoty.co.uk.
“The term ‘game-changer’ is sometimes overused when talking about new cars, but in the case of the i8, it is totally justified.
"The latest ‘i’ model completely redefines the performance car segment, and is helped by a hybrid powertrain that is really quite special.”