In two years, BMW will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Any way you slice it, that’s a very important milestone and the Munich-based automaker plans to unveil a special model as a gift to itself.
According to CAR magazine, this “present” is a more powerful version of the i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe. Code-named M100, it’s developed by the Project i team that’s headed by Roberto Fedeli, who recently left Ferrari to join BMW.
Intended as the company’s flagship, it’s named internally as the i8s. Even though it will retain the Life carbonfiber upper and the aluminum Drive modules, it is expected that certain elements will be extensively modified to give the i8s an individual character. It will also ditch the rear seats, which are a very tight fit for adults, making it a two-seater with a bigger luggage space.
The new hybrid sportcar will retain the all-wheel drive configuration, with an electric motor driving the front axle and an internal combustion gasoline engine driving the rear wheels. Project i is reportedly evaluating two different hybrid powertrain combinations, both with an output in excess of 500bhp, or close to 150bhp more than the i8.
The first combines a twin-turbo 2.0-liter four cylinder with an output of around 320bhp combined with a 204bhp electric motor, while the second has a 480bhp 3.0-liter straight six mated to a 109bhp electric motor.
The suspension will have a sportier set-up, the brakes will be uprated and the aerodynamics will be further honed to produce more downforce. Last, but not least, despite the i8s being heavier than the plain-vanilla version, its extra oomph will enable to sprint from standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) of 3.5 seconds, or 0.5 seconds less that today’s model.
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