Photo: emrEHusmen / Instagram
Recently, the Bavarians over at BMW have been less prone to untamed sports car ideas and more towards creations that are either outrageous high riders or models that embrace the EV revolution.
Of course, some of them are both part of that category of designs that make diehard fans start running amok crying their outrage as well as being zero-emissions heroes. Just think of the flagship of the BMW i brand, aka the purpose-built battery-powered iX crossover SUV that can never be unseen even if it zips fast before your eyes in 610-hp M60 form.
Or one could also consider the BMW i7, the zero-emissions version of the G70 seventh generation 7 Series saloon, which celebrated the nameplate’s 45th anniversary with very controversial split-headlight styling and gasoline, diesel, PHEV, and EV powertrains. More precisely, the i7 includes two eDrive permanently excited synchronous motors for xDrive AWD capabilities and a combined output of 536 horsepower for a zippy sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in less than five seconds, a top speed of 149 mph (240 kph), while the range is WLTP-rated at 510 km (317 miles).
Anyway, the BMW i sub-brand is now thriving, complete with the i3 hatchback, the iX1 and iX3 crossovers, the i4 five-door liftback sedan (BMW, of course, insists it’s a four-door coupe), as well as the iX and i7 flagships. Naturally, there is room for more, so much more. As such, the company is currently wrapping up the intensive testing of the next-generation 5 Series, which is also going to be offered in a battery-powered i5 version, both in sedan and family-oriented Touring station wagon form. See, we told you – there are more EVs or outrageous design ideas than sportiness going on around the head honcho corner offices, these days.
But that is all in the real world. Meanwhile, across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, some people do not have a liking for this situation and have decided to take matters into their hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with digital automotive artist Emre Husmen, simply titled emrEHusmen on social media, who recently has decided the outrageous plug-in hybrid XM super-CUV needs a digital brother, titled as the ‘i8 M.’ Naturally, this virtual project can easily be seen as a revival attempt focusing on the short stint of the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, which was in production between April 2014 and June 2020.
But the styling cues also hit a home run with BMW fans that do not mind standing out in the wrong kind of crowds (beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, remember?) with the likes of the 738-hp XM Label Red super-CUV. Plus, there was also an ulterior motive to the author’s i8 and XM choice of inspiration – he was in the past also involved with the CGI illustration of a potential BMW Vision M Next Concept, and this looks like more than a natural follow-up.
So, do we like the virtual result enough to give it our CGI hall pass? And if we do, are we allowed to dream of a PHEV hero that borrows the 4.4-liter S68 twin-turbo V8 coupled with an electric motor from the XM Label Red? That way, the hypothetical i8 M would make everyone proud, including folks who need at least 738 ponies in their life to fulfill their ultimate driving lifestyle goals. Oh well, it’s all wishful thinking – we should be allowed to go beyond bonkers, from time to time!
Or one could also consider the BMW i7, the zero-emissions version of the G70 seventh generation 7 Series saloon, which celebrated the nameplate’s 45th anniversary with very controversial split-headlight styling and gasoline, diesel, PHEV, and EV powertrains. More precisely, the i7 includes two eDrive permanently excited synchronous motors for xDrive AWD capabilities and a combined output of 536 horsepower for a zippy sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in less than five seconds, a top speed of 149 mph (240 kph), while the range is WLTP-rated at 510 km (317 miles).
Anyway, the BMW i sub-brand is now thriving, complete with the i3 hatchback, the iX1 and iX3 crossovers, the i4 five-door liftback sedan (BMW, of course, insists it’s a four-door coupe), as well as the iX and i7 flagships. Naturally, there is room for more, so much more. As such, the company is currently wrapping up the intensive testing of the next-generation 5 Series, which is also going to be offered in a battery-powered i5 version, both in sedan and family-oriented Touring station wagon form. See, we told you – there are more EVs or outrageous design ideas than sportiness going on around the head honcho corner offices, these days.
But that is all in the real world. Meanwhile, across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, some people do not have a liking for this situation and have decided to take matters into their hands. Or, rather, at the tip of their CGI brush, as is the case here with digital automotive artist Emre Husmen, simply titled emrEHusmen on social media, who recently has decided the outrageous plug-in hybrid XM super-CUV needs a digital brother, titled as the ‘i8 M.’ Naturally, this virtual project can easily be seen as a revival attempt focusing on the short stint of the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, which was in production between April 2014 and June 2020.
But the styling cues also hit a home run with BMW fans that do not mind standing out in the wrong kind of crowds (beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, remember?) with the likes of the 738-hp XM Label Red super-CUV. Plus, there was also an ulterior motive to the author’s i8 and XM choice of inspiration – he was in the past also involved with the CGI illustration of a potential BMW Vision M Next Concept, and this looks like more than a natural follow-up.
So, do we like the virtual result enough to give it our CGI hall pass? And if we do, are we allowed to dream of a PHEV hero that borrows the 4.4-liter S68 twin-turbo V8 coupled with an electric motor from the XM Label Red? That way, the hypothetical i8 M would make everyone proud, including folks who need at least 738 ponies in their life to fulfill their ultimate driving lifestyle goals. Oh well, it’s all wishful thinking – we should be allowed to go beyond bonkers, from time to time!
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