BMW will stop making its hyper-futuristic sports car, the i8. Here's how it became the best-selling car of its kind.
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After confirming the news earlier this year, BMW formally announced on March 11 that it will stop building its i8 hybrid sports car in April.
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BMW rolled out the battery-and-gas-powered coupe in 2014, and went on to sell more than 20,000 units.
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According to BMW, the i8 ends production as the best-selling hybrid sports car ever — and its story is more than a decade in the making.
The i8 traces its origins back to the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept, which BMW unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in 2009.
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With the concept, BMW showcased its efforts to build cars that would both decrease fuel consumption and increase performance.
Source: BMW
When BMW debuted the production version of the i8 in 2013, the car took on a slightly less radical style, but kept a lot of the design cues from the concept it was based on.
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The production i8 sported butterfly doors …
… which are a nod to the gull-wing doors found on the BMW M1, the brand’s last mid-engine production car before the i8.
Source: Car and Driver
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The i8 also had an almost entirely closed kidney grille, since there's no engine up front that needs air …
… and unique rear air channels between the roof and body to help with drag.
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The i8 went on sale in the US in 2014 with a sticker price of $136,000.
Source: CNN
Powering the rear wheels was a 1.5-liter, inline three-cylinder engine mounted behind the seats.
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Three-cylinder engines are usually more befitting of compact commuter cars than six-figure sports cars, but this one was turbocharged, rated at 231 horsepower, and augmented by an electric motor.
Source: BMW
The i8 debuted with a 131-horsepower electric motor driving the front wheels, which made the sports car all-wheel drive and bumped total horsepower to a healthy 362, according to BMW.
Source: BMW
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According to BMW, using its electric motor alone, the i8 could hit 75 mph and travel 23 miles.
Source: BMW
The i8 also packed a whopping 420 pound-feet of torque, BMW says, with 184 pound-feet of that available instantly from the electric motor.
Source: BMW
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Upon its release, the i8 was praised for its performance, fuel economy, and its stunning, concept-car-like looks.
Read more: Business Insider
For the 2019 model year, BMW unveiled a convertible version of the sports car called the i8 Roadster.
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The i8 Roadster came with a higher price tag and two seats instead of the hard-top's four.
It became the production version of the i8 Spyder concept BMW unveiled at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show.
Source: Road & Track
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The same year that the drop-top i8 hit dealerships, the i8 got a higher-capacity battery.
Source: BMW
With the bigger battery, BMW rates the current i8 as cranking out a total of 374 horsepower.
Source: BMW
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The hard-top version makes the sprint to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, while the convertible does the same in 4.6 seconds, according to BMW.
Source: BMW
The i8 hits a top speed of 155 mph and has an all-electric range of roughly 33 to 34 miles, depending on the body style.
Source: BMW
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Today, the i8 Coupe retails for a base MSRP of $147,500, while the Roadster can be had for around $163,300.
BMW is celebrating the end of the i8's production run with a limited-run version called the Ultimate Sophisto Edition, of which only 200 cars will be built.
Source: BMW
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We're not sure yet if or when BMW will release a high-performance, electric successor to the i8, but there is a lot to look forward to from the Bavarian brand — it plans to sell 25 different electrified vehicles by 2023.
Source: BMW
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