Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
When most people think of hybrids, they think of cars like the Toyota Prius - a practical, if dull, commuting option. But the BMW i8 helped prove that plug-in hybrids do have a place among the envied, even if they sip gas instead of gulp it.
Advertisement
And after six years, its reign as the sports car of the future will come to an end in April.
BMW formally memorialized the i8 last week, after reports of its death circulated for months. A company spokesperson confirmed the news in January when reports popped up then, so it's safe to say the decision isn't related to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the i8 production line does halt, it'll mark the end of the car that helped show many what good fuel economy and performance - things that were long incompatible - look like as a team. It wasn't the only hybrid sports car of the time, given the existence of the Porsche 918, Ferrari LaFerrari, and McLaren P1, but it was more attainable - pedestrian, almost, compared to the others.
BMW has thus sold more than 20,000 units since the i8 hit dealerships in 2014, compared to the seven-figure P1's production cap of 375 cars. That makes it the best-selling car of its kind, according to BMW.
Advertisement
Explore the history of the i8 - and what makes it special - below:
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.
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.
Powering the rear wheels was a 1.5-liter, inline three-cylinder engine mounted behind the seats.
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.
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.
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.
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.
