- BMW will stop making its i8 hybrid sports car in April after six years of manufacturing.
- 2014 saw the introduction of the i8, and BMW went on to sell over 20,000 vehicles. The i8 is now the most well-known sports car of its class, according to BMW.
- With butterfly doors, 374 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque, and a 0-to-62-mph pace of 4.4 seconds, the i8 isn’t your standard hybrid.
- An i8 is still available right now. The starting price for the coupe model is $147,500, while the price for the convertible model is $163,300.
Most people associate hybrid vehicles with boring but practical commuter vehicles like the Toyota Prius. However, the BMW i8 served as evidence that even while plug-in hybrids sip gas rather than guzzle it, they do have a place among the envious.
And in April, after six years, its reign as the upcoming sports car will come to an end.
After months of rumors of the i8’s demise, BMW officially honored it last week. It is safe to assume that the decision has nothing to do with the coronavirus epidemic because a corporate spokesman confirmed the news when it first surfaced in January.
When the i8 production line does come to an end, it will be the end of the vehicle that helped many people understand what good fuel efficiency and performance—two things that were once mutually exclusive—look like when they work together. Given the availability of the Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari, and McLaren P1, it wasn’t the only hybrid sports vehicle at the time, but it was more affordable—almost pedestrian—than the others.
Thus, since the i8’s release in 2014, BMW has sold more over 20,000 units, as opposed to the seven-figure P1’s production limit of 375 vehicles. According to BMW, this makes it the best-selling vehicle of its class.
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The BMW i8 was discontinued, but why?
When an automobile is discontinued, the reason for the production halt is usually due to weak sales, which caused the BMW i8 to fail.
Being unique in the automobile industry isn’t necessarily a good thing, but BMW constructed this incredible hypercar to prove to the world that it could. It was capable of offering owners a magnificent drive, and that much is true. We can lament the loss of the i8, but at least it gave us a better idea of what we want from the BMW brand’s i-Division.
Its first hybrid vehicle would have been the Alpina i8.
In June 2020, the BMW i8’s manufacture came to an end after a little over six years. Alpina lost the opportunity to produce its first hybrid or electric vehicle by abandoning the i8 project. BMW doesn’t intend to create a precursor, but it will soon broaden its selection of hybrid vehicles, opening the door for Alpina to someday enter this market.
Since 1965, Alpina has been in business. In the beginning, the company focused on tuning BMW engines for racing, but in the 1980s it changed into an automaker. Alpina has altered several models of the BMW 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and 8 Series over the years, but it also created a limited-edition Z8 roadster variant.
Now available at BMW dealerships, Alpina models include the B7 and XB7, based on the 7 Series and X7, respectively, in the U.S. lineup.
BMW announces the hybrid i8’s end of production.
In April 2020, BMW will stop making its plug-in hybrid i8 sports car. In a news statement from the automaker about new special models for the i8 and the all-electric i3, this information is slightly obscured.
According to the manufacturer, “The Ultimate Sophisto Edition will lead the world’s most popular plug-in hybrid sports vehicle along the finishing straight since its inception in 2014; production of the i8 will stop, as scheduled, in April 2020.” BMW, though, makes no comments regarding a potential replacement.
There is a chance that production may stop for nearly two years in 2022 because it is rumored that a new i8 will hit the market then. With more potent engines, it will still be a plug-in hybrid. The combustion engine will be raised to 250 kW, while the electric motor will be expanded to 150 kW. However, a 500 kW fully electric i8M is claimed to have been scrapped, according to a report in German media at the beginning of August; converting to a battery-electric powertrain would have required expensive adaptations.
The special i8 model, which comes in coupe and roadster body styles, is limited to 200 units and has a distinctive paint finish. For the first time, the accents are “E-Copper” in color. For this particular model, new 20-inch bicolor alloy wheels in black and E-Copper are also available. Additionally, the i8’s rear lights are now constructed of transparent glass.
The i3s in the RoadStyle variant has 20-inch rims as well, but they are narrower than usual for an i3. The double kidney inserts, the air control components in the front apron, and the accent surfaces of the side skirts are painted in E-Copper here as well, while the remainder of the car is painted in “Fluid Black.” The instrument panel is “dark matt oak,” while the “limited edition” of the i3’s interior, which only comes in less than 1,000 units, extends the “Suite” features with a special natural leather finish.
Is the BMW i8 being replaced?
BMW displayed the Vision M Next design concept, which most likely hinted at the following electric sports car.
Gran Turismo was the beginning of it all. Sean has always had a fascination with things that move thanks to his early PlayStation days. He worked as a freelancer for Motor Authority, The Car Connection, and Green Car Reports before joining the Roadshow team. Sean has a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and it does have Holden badges, in the garage.
Visit the WHO and CDC websites for the most recent news and details regarding the coronavirus epidemic.
It’s probably best if we don’t discover more about the vehicle programs that were canceled as a result of the coronavirus epidemic because doing so simply fuels regrets about what might have been. But regrettably, it appears that the anticipated BMW i8 replacement is no longer an option.
As a result of the coronavirus forcing so many businesses to cut costs, BMW canceled the replacement, according to a story from Germany’s Manager Magazin in late April. Low-selling sports vehicles are never the wisest investments, and as the world frets over the future of the economy, a sports car probably elicited unfavorable responses within BMW. According to the article, the automaker ended the program primarily due to costs. Naturally, we have no way of knowing if this is the case, but it probably is.
The Vision M Next design study that BMW unveiled this summer gave us a potential sneak peek at the upcoming sports car. The crazy style appeared to be a beautiful step up from the already futuristic i8 and was wedgy, edgy, and cutting-edge. The vehicle had a turbocharged inline-four that produced 600 horsepower and could travel 62 miles on electricity alone, making it a powerful plug-in hybrid. The technology used, such as facial recognition to open the car, was characteristic of a concept from the future.
BMW declined to comment further on the rumors, emphasizing that the Vision M Next was “not a concept car for a specific model but a design study that was displayed at numerous motor shows last year.”
We’ll probably never find out what happened to the i8 replacement, though. We can find solace in the fact that there are a ton of other M models.
Why did BMW halt i8 production?
On Thursday, the final i8 to be produced rolled out of the Leipzig BMW facility. Actually, the PHEV’s manufacturing was scheduled to stop in the middle of April. However, because of the factory’s closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, manufacturing was delayed until June.
Since manufacturing on the i8 began six years ago, exactly 20,448 vehicles have been sent from the factory. According to a press release from BMW, the final vehicle was an i8 Roadster in “Portimao Blue” and it was sold to a buyer in Germany.
The i8 was the first plug-in hybrid vehicle in the whole BMW Group when it made its debut in 2014. The hybrid sports car was never successful outside of its specialized market due to its intricate carbon body and six-figure base price. The i8 “embodies the departure into electric mobility like no other car,” according to Hans-Peter Kemser, head of the BMW plant in Leipzig. The model served as the inspiration for the current variety of plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Currently, one shift of production for the Leipzig-based BMW i3 produces 116 units per day. Hans-Peter Kemser, the plant manager, claims that if demand for e-cars in Germany increases, production of the i3 might be expanded to two shifts and thus boosted to 250 units per day.
There won’t be a straight replacement for the i8. In the interim, there have been rumors that the 2019 Vision M Next concept car may be produced in large quantities. The BMW board of directors reportedly decided against the 441 kW sports car, also against the backdrop of the Corona crisis, primarily due to “costs and the volume,” according to media reports. However, the hybrid sports car (this time with a four-cylinder petrol engine instead of the three-cylinder in the i8) did not get beyond the planning stage.
When was the BMW i8 withdrawn from sale?
Benoit Jacob was the designer of the BMW i8 in production. 2013 Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez was followed by the 2013 International Motor Show Germany, where the production model was unveiled. The BMW M1 Homage concept car, which itself pays homage to BMW’s last mid-engined sports car in production before the i8, had a significant effect on its design.
Butterfly doors, a head-up display, rearview cameras, and partially fake engine noise were all features of the BMW i8. Customer car series production started in April 2014. The two-speed electric drivetrain was created and manufactured by GKN. As opposed to LED headlights, it was the first production vehicle using laser headlights.
The i8 had a low drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.26 and a vehicle weight of 1,485 kg (3,274 lb) (DIN kerb weight). The top speed of the BMW i8 in all-electric mode was 120 km/h (75 mph). The i8 achieved a midrange acceleration from 50 to 75 mph (80 to 120 km/h) in 2.6 seconds when in Sport mode. 250 km/h was the electronically controlled peak speed (155 mph).
In December 2019, one of the restricted Ultimate Sophisto Edition models, the 20,000th i8, was created. On June 11 of 2020, the final i8 left the factory. 20,465 vehicles were made in total, with 16,581 coupes and 3,884 roadsters.
How recent is the BMW i8?
The 2021 i8 has a single powertrain that combines a 1.5-liter three-cylinder gas engine that has been turbocharged with an 11.6-kWh battery and two electric motors. The three engines work together to provide 369 horsepower, which can drive all four wheels.
Will there be a BMW i8 in 2022?
The coronavirus epidemic delayed BMW’s plan to stop making the i8 in April 2020, delaying it to June instead. The PHEV is still listed in BMW USA’s sales chart for the first half of 2022, two years after the last vehicle—an i8 Roadster in Portimao Blue—rolled off the assembly line.
Between January and June, a total of five vehicles were sold, which is a 50% decrease from the same time last year. We wonder if the purchaser received a discount for purchasing a car that had been in a showroom for so long after BMW delivered a brand-new i8 in Q2 2022.
We’ll just remind you that the i8 wasn’t exactly inexpensive. It’s unclear whether of the five cars sold so far this year were coupes and which were roadsters. The model with the fixed roof started at just under $150,000 when it was at the end of its life cycle in the US, while the variant with the folding top cost almost $165,000 before options.
Speaking of the initial I vehicles, this week saw BMW say farewell to the i3 after producing 250,000 units over the course of nine years. Nine of the oddball hatchback’s vehicles have been delivered as of June, and it is included in the H1 2022 sales chart for North America. In the first three months of the year, they were all sold. BMW USA sold 851 cars last year.
When BMW stopped taking orders in February 2022, the tiny car was taken off the US market. Don’t be shocked if more are sold in the second half of the year because there are probably still quite a number on dealer lots.
In case you forgot, China is still home to the i3 brand. The i3 eDrive35L, a CLAR-based 3 Series Sedan EV based on the locally manufactured long-wheelbase model, is a whole distinct vehicle, though. According to a recent claim, BMW is developing a worldwide available i3 that will include an i3 Touring and be released in 2025 on the Neue Klasse platform.