BMW i8 replacement shelved due to coronavirus, report says
BMW showed the Vision M Next design study that likely previewed the next plug-in sports car.
It's probably best we don't continue learning about vehicle programs canned due to the coronavirus pandemic -- it only strengthens the "what could have been" feelings. But alas, it sounds like a planned BMW i8 successor is now off the table.
According to a report from Germany's Manager Magazin in late April, BMW shelved the replacement as the coronavirus is causing so many companies to conserve cash. Low-selling sports cars typically aren't the best investment at any point, and as the world worries about the global economy's future, a sports car likely got negative reactions within BMW. The report pegs cost as the main reason why the automaker scrapped the program. Of course, we don't know if this is the case, but it likely is.
We likely caught a preview of the next sports car in the form of the Vision M Next design study BMW showed last summer. The wild style looked wedgy, edgy and like a lovely leap forward from the already futuristic i8. A turbocharged inline-four and electric motors worked together to supply 600 horsepower and the machine could drive for 62 miles on electricity alone, making it a plug-in hybrid with a punch. Technology included -- like facial recognition to unlock the car -- was typical of a future-forward concept.
A BMW representative underscored that the Vision M Next was "not a concept car for a specific model but a design study that was shown at various motor shows last year," and declined to comment further on the speculation.
Yet, we'll likely never know what became of an i8 replacement. At least we have numerous other M models to take solace in.
