The Bavarian carmaker has officially confirmed that the i8 hybrid coupe and roadster would be leaving the production lines in April, just as the rumors foretold early this year.
The company will soon be releasing 200 units of the i8 ‘Ultimate Sophisto Edition’ to celebrate the 20,000 units produced before December 2019.
BMW claims that the plug-in hybrid model ended up being its single most popular electrified sports car on offer. It was also the first PHEV with the BMW badge on it, and the first production sports car to boast Laser headlights. Finally, it was the i8 that introduced the world to the new turbocharged three-cylinder engine design that won the Engine of the Year award five times in a row.
The 1.5-liter unit churned out 231 hp (132 kW) and originally shipped bundled with a 131-hp (98-kW) electric motor. Later on, the company replaced the latter with a superior 143-hp (107-kW) motor. Despite being quite tech-heavy, the sports car had neither the great acceleration performance (0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds) nor the great driving range (NEDC: 55 kilometers, or 34 miles). These facts conflicted with its exorbitant price, only partially excused by the bodywork made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic.
BMW says it is not planning to release any more ‘special’ cars like the i3 or the i8. Instead, it will standardize and streamline the production as much as possible, and focus on just two main technological platforms. The current roadmap lists the BMW i4, iX3 and iNext as the next big premieres.