The BMW i8 sports car may have an uncertain future, but sales of the model, including the i8 Roadster, are going strong. The pioneering hybrid sports car is apparently so popular that BMW isn’t considering a more powerful version anytime soon. That means that those who were hopeful of seeing the i8 S will have to at least temper those expectations. According to BMW i8 Product Manager Marcus Pluntke, the i8 S is not on BMW’s radar at the moment because there isn’t a strong enough demand for one.

Believe it or not, that’s how Marcus Plunk explained it in a conversation with Car Advice. When asked about the possibility of seeing a more extreme version of the i8, Plunke didn’t mince his words. As it turns out, BMW is cold on the idea because there haven’t been a lot of requests to develop one. “Quite the opposite,” Pluntke said when asked about the perceived requests for a more performance-focused version of the i8. “Customers are very happy with the performance has. “Especially as it is so quick, you know the electric motor’s response is like immediately, like reading your mind, and that is what customers really ask for in a sports car.”

Pluntke added that not only are i8 customers happy with their hybrid sports cars, but there have also been very few requests for BMW to develop a more powerful version of the i8.

This development is a direct about-face to earlier comments made by BMW i Product Management Head Alexander Kotouc at the Detroit Auto Show last January. “There is a customer need and desire to have more power and we will try to fulfill it while also keeping our DNA authentic,” Kotouc told CarBuzz four months ago.

Judging by how the winds are blowing recently, it appears that more customers are now happy with the updates BMW made to the i8. If there’s validity to Pluntke’s recent comments, the reactions BMW has been getting regarding the coupe and roadster versions of the i8 have shelved plans for a more extreme version of the hybrid sports car.

Perhaps this is one of those times when BMW itself is on the fence. Ultimately, it’s going to have the final decision on whether a BMW i8 S is going to become a reality. In the meantime, though, it appears that we shouldn’t expect one to arrive soon. That could still change in the future, but at this moment, we’re not counting on it.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8 Coupe.

Read our full review on the 2019 BMW i8 Roadster.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 BMW i8.

Read more BMW news.