The New York Auto Show witnessed the BMW i8 being declared the 2015 World Green Car. The hybrid sportscar from this manufacturer was chosen from a list of 10 cars, which were previously shortlisted from across the globe. At the end the competition came down to three cars only – the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid, the Volkswagen Golf GTE and the BMW i8. In the end, it was the BMW model, which edged past the rest to be declared as the best green car. A number of aspects were kept in mind while coming to this conclusion.
The field of green cars has gone through an enormous advancement and technological upgrades. These technologies are a bit complex and relatively new. To understand the concepts and advanced technologies, five experts from the relevant field were appointed to review and monitor the procedure. The judging panel consisted of 75 automotive journalists from across the globe. These journalists got the opportunity to vote and the tabulation was done by none other than the international accounting firm KPMG.
The basic qualification for a car to enter this competition was quite simple. The vehicle had to be all-new or comparatively revised on a substantial scale. A minimum of 10 units had to be sold or at least leased in a major market. The time period for this would have to be in between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015. Everything, ranging from the type of powertrain, fuel consumption as well as the emissions was taken into consideration.
The BMW, on one hand, was up to the mark, when it came to the credentials and features; while on the other, it was great as far as enjoyment was concerned. Adding to it, the car had high environment friendly characteristics, which made it suitable for this bracket. This innovative hybrid car is available in India for 2.29cr, making it the most expensive model offered by the German automaker.
