Six years old as of 2020, the BMW i8 is a bit long in the tooth. As a result, BMW decided to end production of the hybrid sports car. The bad news is that the Germans have yet to announce a successor, but a recent report claims that BMW is actually working on a follow-up. And it seems that its spiritual success will be notably more powerful.

The BMW i8 M will have 600 horsepower

grey 2019 BMW Vision M Next Concept
BMW

Previewed by the BMW Vision M Next concept from 2019, this new sports car is rumored to arrive in 2023. The folks at Car and Driver have named it the i8 M, but point out that this badge is far from official.

The successor to the i8 will retain the latter's layout. A turbocharged gasoline engine will spin the front wheels, while an electric motor will motivate the rear axle. But the big news is that BMW will drop the i8's three-cylinder gas engine in favor of a four-pot unit. The electric motor will also become more powerful, and the rumored total output is at around 600 horsepower. That's notably more than the i8's output of only 369 horsepower.

This output will put the i8 on par with recent M vehicles, like the M5, M8, X5 M, and X6 M. But all that with the advantages of electrification, such as lower consumption and an all-electric range for short-distance travel.

The new supercar will be built around an evolution of the i8's carbon-fiber tub.

The BMW i8 M won't be cheap

A production version of the i8 M will arrive in 2023, and it will cost more than the outgoing i8. The latter starts from $147,500 in the United States. The report suggests that its successor will fetch at least $160,000, but it could cost much more than that. The expensive platform, the new technology, and the much more powerful option could actually raise the sticker to around $180,000 before options. Such a price would make it the most expensive BMW ever produced.