Officially launched in the U.S. in August of 2014, the BMW i8 has been met with huge enthusiasm, selling nearly 3,000 units as of December 2015. The hybrid->ke147 sports car met its first customers at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance,->ke2839 where BMW->ke178 also auctioned a special-edition model named after the event and equipped with several unique features inside and out. The car was sold for $825,000, six times the retail price of the i8.->ke4622 Now, BMW is preparing yet another special-edition model, this time around to be showcased at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.->ke228 It's called the Protonic Red Edition and will enter production starting July 2016.

Much like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance edition, the Protonic Red i8 features a bespoke exterior and an custom interior with colors and stitching not available on the regular model. However, unlike the $825,000 sports car,->ke506 the Protonic Red will have a sticker closer to the i8's staring price and will be built in significantly more examples. Details as to how much it will cost and how many will be built aren't yet available, but BMW said that the Protonic Red Edition will be available until the end of 2016.

Find out more about it below and stay tuned for updates from the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next month.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2016 BMW i8 Protonic Red Edition.

What makes the BMW i8 Protonic Red Edition special

Much like all special-edition i8s released so far, the Protonic Red Edition wears an exclusive paint job. As the name suggests, the special hue is called Protonic Red, but this Bimmer received more than just fancy paint on the outside. The bright red is complemented by Frozen Grey Metallic accents, a color already available on the regular production model. On the Protonic Red Edition, the silver-like hue can be seen on the kidney grille, the side skirts, and around the rear fascia, where it provides a striking contrast with the black body panels. Rounding off the exterior is a set of W-spoke 470, light-alloy wheels finished in Orbit Grey Metallic with hubs painted in Aluminum Matt.

Open the door and you will be greeted by custom sills with "Protonic Red Edition" lettering. The front head restraints feature "i8" embossing, while the side bolsters have double lap seams in red, as well as red stitching. More red stitching can be seen on the door panels, adding a touch of color to the otherwise black and grey interior. Other additions include bespoke embellishers made from high-grade carbon-fiber for the center console and instrument panel, carbon-fiber pull handles, and a gear selector with black ceramic detailing. The Protonic Red also comes with specially designed floor mats with leather piping and red contrast stitching.

Not surprisingly, this special-edition i8 is a standard model under the hood, using the same 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, gasoline engine and synchronous motor as the regular sports car. The turbocharged three-pot cranks out 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, while the electric motor generates 129 horses and 184 pound-feet. Total output sits at 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet and enables the i8 to charge from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.3 seconds. The car can travel up to 372 miles on both gasoline and electric power and 22 miles on electricity alone.

BMW i8

Previewed by several concept cars and prototypes, the BMW i8 was introduced at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and put into production in 2014. Deliveries to U.S. customers began in August of 2014. The i8 is BMW's second mass-produced hybrid after the i3, which arrived in dealerships in late 2013. Global deliveries totaled 1,741 units in 2014, and 5,456 examples in 2015. In 2015, global sales of the BMW i8 exceeded the combined figure of all other hybrid sports cars produced by other manufacturers. As of December 2015, BMW sold 2,820 i8s in the U.S., an impressive figure for a vehicle that costs in excess of $130,000. The i8 has won many awards since its introduction, including the 2015 World Green Car Award, outgunning the Kia Soul EV and the Volkswagen Golf GTE.

Read our full review on the BMW i8 here.