End of the road for BMW i8 production

Hailed the world’s best-selling plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sports car, BMW i8 production stops in April after six years and 20,000 units.

BMW Group says the “final stretch” is on the way for the i8 coupe and roadster which laid the foundation for the group’s now broad range of PHEVs.

“The BMW i8 developed into the world’s most successful sports car with an electrified drive system. With more than 20,000 units sold since 2014, it achieved higher sales than all competitors in its segment combined,” the company says.

The coupe could do 55km and the roadster 53km electric range.

The upgraded i8 arrived in New Zealand showrooms in June 2018 and in Australia about a month later after the initial model first appeared there in 2015.

The i8 was revealed as a concept at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in 2009 and a production version came in 2013 along with the electric BMW i3.

In combination, the i8’s electric motor and turbocharged three-cylinder combustion engine reached 275kW with the coupe accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds and the roadster doing that in 4.6 seconds.

Top speed was limited to 250km/h.