With only weeks of real-world experience under its belt (the first customer cars were delivered on June 5 in Munich; U.S. deliveries are slated for August 16 at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance), it looks as if BMW’s i8 hybrid may be getting a more athletic sibling. According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport—via Autoblog, where we picked up on the news—word is circulating that BMW is preparing an even higher-performance version of the innovative hybrid to celebrate the carmaker’s 100th anniversary in 2016.
Speculatively referred to as the i9 (we’ve also heard rumblings of the M1 moniker being revived), the uprated hybrid is rumored to employ a six-cylinder gasoline engine and more-powerful electric motors. The combo is reportedly stout enough to get the car from rest to 60 mph in less than four seconds. That’s not saying much, as our recent test of the i8 with its three-cylinder gasoline engine and electric motors producing 357 combined horsepower, returned a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds.
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With its futuristic styling, innovative powertrain, and unmistakable gullwing/scissor-door configuration, the i8 is a polarizing vehicle. Although its $136,000 price puts it out of reach for most people, you can bet that BMW will apply everything it learns from the i8 and rumored i9 to the rest of its lineup.
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