Once again, we don’t normally report rumors unless we would really like them to come true. Such a case involves reports coming out of Germany that BMW intends to release a new plug-in hybrid supercar to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary in 2016.
As reported by the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, the car would be dubbed the BMW i9, and would build on what BMW has learned developing the i8. Both the gasoline and electric motors of an i9 would undoubtedly be larger and more powerful than the i8’s. The rumor mill seems to think an i9 would do zero to 60 in under four seconds and top speed would be considerably higher than the i8’s electronically limited 155 mph.
If such a car is built, it would probably be a limited edition, in keeping with its probable coronation as the spiritual successor to the BMW M1. BMW revealed an M1 Homage concept back in 2008, but we would not expect an i9 to look much like that concept. We're guessing it would probably look much closer to an evolution of the i8, perhaps as rendered in the Auto Motor und Sport picture above.
Most BMW enthusiasts might not be able to afford an i9 if it ever comes to pass, but that won’t stop us from appreciating its styling and performance, whatever that might turn out to be. If ever.—Scott Blazey
[M1 Homage photo courtesy of BMW AG. Concept rendering courtesy of Auto Motor Und Sport/Christian Schulte.]
