BMW scraps 95% finished supercar for XM SUV

BMW had a perfect opportunity to launch a spiritual successor to the iconic M1, a car that still fascinates today like the Holy Grail of Bavarian engineering. Instead, the German brand gives us the XM, a clunky reminder that even automakers already inundated with crossovers can’t resist the sweet, cash-filled Siren Song. There is another High profit SUV.

The news was revealed to British YouTuber Joe Achilles by automotive writer Steve Saxty, who revealed that BMW is very close (pictures are two finger millimeters apart) to produce the I16, a thoroughbred mid-range car based on the 2019 Vision M Next concept. engine sports car. Then they pulled the plug.

For those following BMW’s canceled dreams, the i16 should be the natural evolution of the i8 – remember that fancy plug-in hybrid coupe?

We first learned about this model in February of this year, when BMW design chief Domagoj Dukec confirmed that they had terminated development of the mid-engine sports car at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Saxty, approximately 95% of the product is ready for production.

Read: BMW i16 is the secret i8 replacement that has been cancelled

The idea with the I16 is to take the basics of the i8 and give it a sexy new shape and tons of extra features. Thaxti said that in addition to completing the exterior design of the car, BMW also completed the body work and interior – although no photos have been released yet.

While the i8 launched with an advanced but rather mediocre three-cylinder plug-in hybrid engine producing 369 horsepower, BMW plans to equip the I16 with a four-cylinder hybrid engine producing 560 horsepower. This would give it enough power to overtake the BMW M4.

But in the end, BMW bosses decided to abandon the project. Saxty said the German automaker had to choose between the I16 and the XM. He added, “No matter where you look at the XM, there’s value in the premium, expensive SUV segment.”

Also, pricing for the I16 is tricky. Despite its small-displacement four-cylinder engine, the flagship sports car is likely to cost twice as much as the BMW M8. Since the company already has six- and eight-cylinder sports cars in its lineup, there may not be enough demand for more expensive, sporty models with fewer cylinders.

While it’s a shame that the world only has the XM and not a new mid-engine, plug-in hybrid sports car, BMW is working on some compelling new models, including an M version of the Neue Klasse-based all-electric i3 when it becomes available Equipped with four electric motors with over 1,000 horsepower.

H/T to the drive