Photo: BMW
We've been hearing about it for many years - a BMW flagship sports car with way more power. First, we had rumors about the M1 and then a hybrid of some sort. But with BMW reportedly pulling the plug on both the i3 and i8, it looked like it was not going to happen.
The boss of the M division said the M8 Competition was so good they didn't feel the need to put another line in the sand with a bespoke M car like their rivals at AMG have. But earlier this month, a report from Automobile Magazine stated that the i brand would bring a flagship 680 horsepower machine to market in only three years.
After all the new electric cars that are listed there, some of which are semi-official, we'll have troble believing BMW the next time they deny working on a hybrid supercar. There's the iX3, the i4 sedan, iNext and several plug-in hybrids.
The push for this rumored i12 model will come from 2-liter turbo engine making 340 horsepower and a pair of 204 HP electric motors. Combine, they're supposed to have around 500 kW, 671bhp or 680 HP, which is also the output of the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
Perhaps even more significant is the fact that the battery pack is supposed to have a 135 kWh capacity. If you just remember a few Tesla names, you'll know the number is huge and should provide the i12 with insane range.
A couple of months ago, BMW said it had no plans to replace the i8. But at roughly the same time, it showed us the stunning Vision M Next concept.
“Any M car has to perform like an M car. If you do a pure electric sports car you need such a big battery that it would be a 2.1 or 2.2-tonne sports car to get to 600 HP. And these 2.1-2.2 tonne cars don’t behave well on the Nürburgring. Being fast is not only about longitudinal acceleration. That part is easy,” director of development Klaus Frölich said.
After all the new electric cars that are listed there, some of which are semi-official, we'll have troble believing BMW the next time they deny working on a hybrid supercar. There's the iX3, the i4 sedan, iNext and several plug-in hybrids.
The push for this rumored i12 model will come from 2-liter turbo engine making 340 horsepower and a pair of 204 HP electric motors. Combine, they're supposed to have around 500 kW, 671bhp or 680 HP, which is also the output of the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
Perhaps even more significant is the fact that the battery pack is supposed to have a 135 kWh capacity. If you just remember a few Tesla names, you'll know the number is huge and should provide the i12 with insane range.
A couple of months ago, BMW said it had no plans to replace the i8. But at roughly the same time, it showed us the stunning Vision M Next concept.
“Any M car has to perform like an M car. If you do a pure electric sports car you need such a big battery that it would be a 2.1 or 2.2-tonne sports car to get to 600 HP. And these 2.1-2.2 tonne cars don’t behave well on the Nürburgring. Being fast is not only about longitudinal acceleration. That part is easy,” director of development Klaus Frölich said.
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