BMW is without a proper supercar but with a superior and capable chassis in the BMW i8 sitting around with a measly 347 HP, this BMW savior thinks almost doubling its power is the ticket.
Car reviewers treat the current generation BMW i8 like the first generation Acura NSX, they’ll insist that its smaller engine is good enough and its lack of power is actually what this car is not about, which, to be fair, is true. But, deep down inside they KNOW that the chassis (be it BMW i8 or first generation NSX) can handle more than the power it came with. Enter head of R&D at BMW and all around car enthusiast Klaus Fröhlich. As per Motor Authority on their words on this supercar in the making they put out earlier last week (Oct. 3, 2018) this BMW Manager with a heart of an engineer thinks that a more powerful BMW i8 would do well for advertising and for the chassis itself, which I agree with one-hundred percent.
As per GoodCarBadCar and just like the first gen NSX, everyone who wanted a BMW i8 has by and large already bought theirs. The i8, an already futuristic looking car with a design language that looks like it’ll still look relevant in 2030, hasn’t changed. That means, although BMW still makes the i8, it’s hardly selling. Last year BMW moved just 488 BMW i8s, barely enough to justify its existence. This year, they’re on pace to do slightly better with 478 i8s already sold, but not moving the needle by much.
Right now, the i8 only has a small 7.7 kWh battery and a 1.5L turbocharged inline three cylinder. Although it has a combined 347 HP and 420 lb-ft and is capable of a sub-five second blast to 60 MPH, once that battery runs dry, the i8 is nothing more than a very good looking coupe that’s suddenly snail-like slow. That 1.3L engine can muster up just 220 HP and 221 lb-ft on its own, most of that power coming in at a relatively high 5700 RPM. At 3,400 pounds, it’s now slower than a hot hatch.
As per Klaus,
“The chassis is so robust, so good and so lightweight that I would like to use it for a second generation,”
Yes, Klaus, yes. Give the i8 an engine that can stand on its own and throw in a bigger electric motor and battery pack that can add some real heft to the equation and now we’re talking.
The BMW i8 chassis deserves the power it so sorely needs.
A 2021 BMW i8 with 600 plus HP is on the way and its redeemer goes by the name of Klaus Fröhlich.
