According to AutoExpress, a lightweight, high-performance BMW i8 could be on the way. It could potentially pack 450 horsepower but it will not be called the i8M. Insiders have revealed that it could arrive as soon as next year in time to celebrate the centenary of the firm. At the moment the i8 is powered by a combination of a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and an electric motor which combined push out 357 hp. The petrol engine is responsible for 228 of those horsepowers which is already a stretch so the hotted up version may makes use of a 2.0-litre producing well over 300 horses. Whatever form the hot i8 takes, it won’t come under the remit of the M brand, as the company has stated that ‘i’ and ‘M’ will never mix.
