Domagoj Dukec, BMW Design Director, has created quite some ripples by posting three exterior sketches of the I16 – a vehicle that could become the next i8 coupe, but never did.
According to Dukec, the I16 had been conceptualized as a production coupe based on the Vision M Next prototype (shown in the gallery below, images 4 through 15). It debuted in the summer of 2019 and was advertised as a contemporary interpretation of the iconic M1, as well as the M division’s second standalone model in history. In the end, though, the company chose to release a bumbling XM SUV instead of a high-end sports car.
The reasons for that decision were never mentioned. Shortly before the premiere of the Vision M Next, company representatives said that BMW did not see any need for having a supercar in its portfolio as long as the M8 was still around. However, BMW Chief Engineer Klaus Fröhlich later supposed that the Vision M Next could ultimately become a mass-produced car – just as long as there are enough buyers out there. Was it the Covid outbreak that disrupted those plans? We won’t know for sure, but the project is now officially dead.
Based on the renderings, the I16 could very well have become the next i8. Compared to the concept mentioned above, it sports different bumpers and lights, but retains the same rear window louvers making it look almost like a rear-engine model. According to Domagoj Dukec, it took the design department less than a year to conceptualize the I16 inside and out – largely because the designers started with an i8 chassis. This means the Bavarian automaker had planned to make the I16 a major upgrade over the i8, rather than a completely different, standalone model.
Dukec never quoted any numbers, but the original BMW Vision M Next was presented as a plugin-hybrid sports car rated at 600 PS (590 hp / 440 kW). It was envisioned with a 2.0-liter petrol four-pot and two electric motors each driving its own rear wheel. When fully charged, it was supposed to have 100 km (62 miles) of electric driving range.