BMW Canceled An M1-Inspired Replacement For The i8

The i16 combined styling elements from the 2019 Vision M Next Concept and the classic M1. It's a shame development was canceled.

By: Chris Bruce

Feb 9, 2024 at 11:29am ET

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The BMW i8 was a special car for the brand. It combined an eye-catching shape unlike anything else in the automaker's lineup and a performance-focused plug-in-hybrid powertrain. BMW Head of Design Domagoj Dukec just revealed the once-planned successor to the sports car – the i16.

Dukec actually worked on designing the i16. It was a more production-ready take on the Vision M Next Concept that debuted in 2019 at BMW's NextGen conference in Munich. Here's how the look side-by-side:

BMW i16

BMW Vision M Next Concept

The Vision M Next Concept used a hybrid-assisted four-cylinder engine with a total system output of 600 horsepower. It could reach 62 miles per hour in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. It's unclear what changes, if any, would've been made to the powertrain if the i16 made it to production.

Dukec notes that the i16's design takes inspiration from the M1. The similarities are most evident at the back where there are louvers on the rear glass and a debossed section on the fenders, like the inlets on the sides of the classic sports car.

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The production-spec i16 would have shared the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque structure from the i8. According to Dukec, the project was a victim of poor timing because the business complications from the pandemic in 2020 caused BMW to end development. The i16's cost and low potential sales volume were factors in canceling the car, based on a report at the time.

If the i16 went into production, it was supposed to launch around 2022, just two years after the i8's production ended. If you're into BMWs, we highly encourage checking out what Dukec had to say about the i16 in his Instagram post below.