Written by Menswear Style in Cars on the 12th June 2014

The BMW Group’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle and the second model from the BMW i brand is a 2+2-seater boasting visionary design and intelligent lightweight engineering. 

As a plug-in hybrid, the BMW i8 unites the advantages of innovative electric drive and the latest combustion-engine technology. The upshot is an extraordinary driving experience that delivers the dynamics of a sports car along with fuel economy and emissions figures of a small city car.

This means not just purely electric emission-free driving around town but also sporty performance on inter-urban routes. The athletic personality of this revolutionary sports car is patently manifest in its design: classical sports car proportions, spectacular scissor doors, clean, minimalist lines and a low-slung silhouette all imbue it with its powerful, dynamic shape. 

The sporty character of the exterior makes a seamless transition into the interior’s future-focused design. Previously the preserve of aeronautics industries, carbon fibre is making its debut in luxury leather goods with Louis Vuitton. 

The pioneer in the use of innovative materials has explored the infinite possibilities of the material to create a textile with remarkable technological qualities. Strong yet incomparably lightweight, at barely 600 grams per square metre, the fibre is woven to fulfill the varying demands of a BMW i8 driver.

Woven into a charcoal grey fabric with a perforated microfibre lining and laminated with a coating of electric blue, the carbon fibre is transformed into sophisticated featherweight luggage. 

Patrick-Louis Vuitton, Head of Special Orders at Louis Vuitton and great grandson of the House’s founder comments: “This collaboration with BMW i epitomises our shared values of creativity, technological innovation and style. Our craftsmen at Louis Vuitton have enjoyed the challenge of this very special project, using their ingenuity and attention to detail to create a truly made to measure set of luxury luggage. This is a pure expression of the art of travel.”

The Weekender PM i8

The small soft bag lies snugly on the flat surface of the business case. Like the other pieces in the set, if features a specially-designed handle, a natural leather address tag and the famous Luis Vuitton padlock that has become one of the house’s best-known emblems 

The Garment Bag i8

The garment bag slips onto the car’s rear parcel shelf. With two rounded handles and a removable address tag on the outside, as well as two hangers protected by a zip-up microfiber sheath on the inside. 

The Business Case i8

Comprises two ultra-resistant, thermo-compressed semi-rigid shells that follow the curves of the BMW i8 back seat perfectly. It also leaves space for the Weekender PM i8 bag to slide on top of it. 

The Weekender GM i8

A large soft travel bag designed to be handheld or carried on the shoulder is a perfect fit for the boot of the BMW i8.

A look at the new Louis Vuitton x BMW i8 collaboration which sees a revolution in sports car luggage perfectly fitting into different compartments of the car.