Rumors All that Talk about a BMW Supercar

[Centurion]

20.000 units sold, which makes it extremely successful, praised by all, disappoint a little in the...

BMW's biggest loss is not fitting the i8 drive train into other body shapes.

 

[manuelf]

BMW's biggest loss is not fitting the i8 drive train into other body shapes.

I'm not sure ... tbh, the drivetrain on the i8 was one of my bigger complaints! Combining a B48 with E motors for a system performance clearly above 400hp would have made much more sense to me ...

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The 535Kw, 1150Nm, triple-e-motor G30 BEV prototype could be a very interesting template for a future BMW supercar.:

 

[Levi68]

The 535Kw, 1150Nm, triple-e-motor G30 BEV prototype could be a very interesting template for a future BMW supercar.

That supercar being the BMW M5.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

600-HP BMW i8 M Could Be the Hybrid Sports Car We Always Wanted

The i8's replacement might take styling cues from the M1, and we’re expecting it in 2023 priced around $160,000.

ILLUSTRATION BY RADOVAN VARICAKCAR AND DRIVER

• The next-generation BMW i8 hybrid sports car will place a greater emphasis on performance.
• It will use a powerful plug-in-hybrid powertrain with up to 600 horsepower.
• Expect this new BMW sports car to arrive in 2023 with a starting price around $160,000.

This story originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Car and Driver as part of our 25 Cars Worth Waiting For package. Our sneak preview of the most exciting cars coming in the next few years draws on knowledge from leaked product-development plans, spy photos, and loose-lipped insiders mixed in with information that has already been officially released. The reporting for this story was completed in February and early March, before the auto industry began feeling major effects of the coronavirus pandemic. As many automakers are now delaying or pausing development programs, the debut and on-sale dates reported here may change.

BMW is working on a follow-up to the plug-in-hybrid i8 halo car, which in and of itself never really lived up to expectations. Previewed by the 2019 BMW Vision M Next concept car, this yet-to-be-named replacement (we've taken to calling it the i8 M) should place greater emphasis on performance than its predecessor did. It could also set the Bimmer world on fire with its retro M1-inspired style—it could have rear louvers, people!

Following the i8's lead, this supercar will have an electrified front axle and combine a turbocharged gas engine with an electric motor on the rear axle. But here you'll find an inline-four instead of the i8's inline-three. The battery will enable at least 60 miles of EV driving between charges. Combined output will flirt with 600 ponies, so that should address anyone's concerns about the i8 M having the motor(s) to back up its M1 looks.

After BMW sold most of its interest in a Washington carbon-fiber plant, reports suggested there would be no more carbon-bodied Bimmers. We're guessing those reports are wrong. An evolution of the i8's carbon-fiber tub seems inevitable, as the concept shows off unpainted composite sills and trim. BMW may mix in some structural metal, though.

The increased power and greater emphasis on driving excitement will help the i8 M compete with other hybrid sports cars such as the Acura NSX and Polestar 1, and even nonhybrids such as the Porsche 911 Turbo. BMW could mount low-rolling-resistance rubber on this one, too, as it did with the i8, but we're pretty confident the company has learned that lesson.

We won't see a production version until 2023, but you'll want to start saving now. The i8 M should cost at least $160,000.

 

[Levi68]

Nah, it is never coming. Itis worse than the Mazda RX7 rumors. Before it was V10 supercarcar rumor, now it hybrid supercar rumor, then it will be electric supercar rumor, and later flying supercar rumor, but it will for eternity remain a supercar rumor.

On the other hand, powertrain might make it in next gen M3/M4 (after S55), after all it started with I4, and that is what the new C AMG is rumored to get.

 

[SKY]

Nah, it is never coming. Itis worse than the Mazda RX7 rumors. Before it was V10 supercarcar ru...

A pitty because a supercar by BMW would be quite interesting, taking into account how the other cars on the portfolio drive. There always seems to be a problem. That supercar with shared tech with McLaren sounded amazing, yet nothing ended up happening.

With the M Next Concept I was really optimistic a real supercar by BMW would came out. But as soon as X8 M rumors started to appear I began suspecting BMW wanted its own Urus, not its own 911. And here we are with reputable insiders now claiming the project has been axed.

Regarding the M3, not sure if that car is ever gonna be hybrid. Maybe it goes straight to EV. Who knows. This M Next engine might be a valid alternative, just as the new C63 AMG seems to be getting. But again, what are the chances the W207 AMG features an all-electric engine?

 

[SKY]

Damn... It appears @bmwblog is now claiming too the M Next production version has been axed:

bmwblog.com/2020/04/29/bmw-vision-m-next-hybrid-supercar-might-have-been-cancelled/

It is really a pitty seeing how, over the years, each time the possibility of a BMW halo car appears on the horizon, it gets quickly shelved. I did like the design of the M Next and looked like the more realistic case for a supercar we have ever had.

I guess we will always have the X8 M...

 

[Deleted member 1071]

With that massive spanner aka COVID-19 now clanking in the works, it could be quite possible that automobile manufacturers will abandon the "fill all market niches and create new ones" strategy of the past 20 some years and begin culling model offerings while retreating from various segments altogether. The M Next would appear an obvious "axing victim". The recently speculated shortened model-lifespan for the 8 series cars without being succeeded now appears more likely than ever. BMWs' future "halo" car may very well be some 600+ kW Mi7 sedan/sedoupe that will be technically, architecturally and visually closely related to more pedestrian next-gen 7 series cars.

 

[dalab]

Damn... It appears @bmwblog is now claiming too the M Next production version h...

I hope it is only quarantine rumors, I do not think that decisions are being made about this today, perhaps and it would be understandable that the project would be postponed for a while.

On this statement in the link
Quote ´´BMW didn’t have much success with the i8, so it’s not much of a surprise that it’d be a bit apprehensive to try again´´.

I disagree with the report since 20,000 units sold is a success in my books, in addition to the intangible but calculable success as a halo car, and if this were the thought, in the first place they would not have made the concept and announced that they would manufacture it.

 

[SKY]

With that massive spanner aka COVID-19 now clanking in the works, it could be quite possible that...

What are the talks about a shortened lifespan for the 8er? I read the plan was to axe the coupe and cabrio for the next generation, with the GC remaining alive.

Some of the most interesting German cars seems to be in danger. The CLS and AMG GT 4dr are also rumored to be axed when the current models end their lifespan.

 

[MrRapp]

A pity but on the other hand something you could expect. The amount of investment into a relatively small series of pure sports car is huge while at the same time your industry is being disrupted by electrification. The choice for an X8 SAV makes more sense to me as the market is just bigger provided they do make it indeed BMW’s Urus or DBX.

 

[SCOTT27]

On the prelude to the Annual meeting call. When talking about largest market for BMW in 2019. They announced China and then we moved on.

The issue here is "This is the new i8" when the next i8 will probably not return in the same guise as it leaves with.

I believe we will see a hiatus on some projects across all manufacturers as everyone deals with the aftermath of Covid-19. However even in these times those unaffected financially will still be buying exotic luxury and sports cars.

 

[dalab]

If it serves as an indication

May 01, 2020 10:35 AM
¨´McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt says the outbreak will most likely put the supercar maker about two years behind schedule to achieve its ambitious goals.´´

autonews.com/weekend-drive-podcast/daily-drive-podcast-may-1-2020-how-pandemic-pulled-handbrake-mclaren

 

[SKY]

Well, the decision to axe the M Next seems to have been there for months already. The article does not phrase it as it has been caused by the corona. Not to mention, BMW has a history of not being too interested in supercars.

 

[SCOTT27]

AGM today and although it was all virtual from the BMW Welt instead of the Olympic Stadium Arena. Afterwards over virtual drinks and canapés there was some discussion regarding the production of Vision M Next.
No formal decision Regarding cancellation but it’s on hiatus. If it was to make production it would be around late 2022 before arriving to the market.

It will take time for the current economic climate to regenerate. But they say ideas conceived with Vision M Next in mind will be developed with other models.
The X8 is still coming.