i8 Coupe

Make
BMW
Segment
Coupe

The BMW i8 probably hasn't been the biggest success story in the world of motoring. There's no denying it's a pretty good all-round and thoroughly innovative sports car, but - with only 7,197 units sold as of December 2015 - it's safe to say that history will be far kinder to the i8 than the present day. BMW wants a far more instant gratification for the next version, however, as Automobile Magazine is claiming he 2nd-gen i8 will be a huge step forward performance-wise over the current model.

As stated in the report, the new BMW i8 will be a rather different beast to the 2+2 coupe we have now. Instead of a gas-electric hybrid setup, the second generation car that's due in 2022 will be powered by electric motors only. Three of them, to be specific, with an alleged combined output in the region of 750-hp. If true, we should expect to find in BMW dealerships in roughly six years time an EV performance vehicle with the pace to worry today's super sports cars. BMW is also allegedly working on improving the vehicle's range, with the target being in the region of 300 miles in between charges. As are the words of Calvin Candie, "you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention".

BMW's also got some interesting plans in store for its future 'i' cars. For instance, BMW's currently working on what Automobile Magazine's claiming to be known internally at BMW as the 'iNext', which will be placed above the i3 and be used as a showcase for the firm's autonomous driving technology. A successor to the BMW i3 is also expected to make its debut around the same time as the i8 replacement, and should be far more city-oriented. Even though, with claims of all-wheel drive and a max output of 250-hp, it could very well be an urban runabout with the point-to-point pace of a contemporary hot hatchback. Maybe we should have kept that Django Unchained quote for this revelation instead?