i8 Coupe

Make
BMW
Segment
Coupe

Last month, BMW celebrated a major milestone for the i8 hybrid sports car as the 20,000th example rolled off the production line in Leipzig, Germany. But if you're still on the fence about buying a new BMW i8, time is running out. Autocar has confirmed that production of the current-generation BMW i8 will end in April to make way for BMW's upcoming electric onslaught.

An exact date hasn't been confirmed, but a company revealedthat"UK customers interested in a built-to-order car will need to have placed their order with their local retailer by the end of February."

First revealed as a concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the i8 went on sale back in 2014 and still represents BMW's flagship hybrid performance model in the company's electrified i model range. Throughout its production run, the BMW i8 has been offered with a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor.

A 2018 model-year update increased the output from 357 hp to 369 hp, enabling the BMW i8 to hit 0-62 mph in 4.2 seconds and top out at 155 mph. Question is, will the BMW i8 be replaced when it ends production?

BMW hasn't made a firm decision about the i8's future yet. The i8's replacement could pack a powerful hybrid powertrain than the current model, but BMW is also considering reviving it as an all-electric supercar to rival the Tesla Roadster and the Audi R8's future replacement, as well as act as a technology flagship for BMW.

A report last year claimed the new electric powertrain will share "key elements" with the four-wheel-drive system being developed for the electric BMW iNext SUV launching next year and use a newly developed electric motor. Either way, we should discover the i8's fate soon as BMW is expected to make a decision this year.