Stop the press! BMW reveals secret supercar sketches of an ‘i16’

BMW has revealed a set of sketches showcasing a successor to the revolutionary i8 supercar. World, meet the BMW we should have got: the i16.

BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec revealed the secret sketches via social media, pointing towards a car that carried the i8’s gorgeous lines and feeding in a fair bit of the equally delectable Vision M Next show car revealed back in 2019.

“This is another good kept secret: the i16,” Dukec said. “Developed as a successor for the BMW i8, this is a project I was involved in personally.

“The i16 had all the style of a future classic, but there were still novel touches that moved the design forward from the M1. Within less than 12 months the car was ready – inside and out. The key was to use the composite structure of the BMW i8. If you look closely, you will find a few clues!”

We’re certainly looking very closely, Mr Dukec. Of course, back in 2019 TopGear.com reported that a version of the Vision M Next would make production within a few years, merging the i8’s exotic construction and philosophy and full-fat power.

Indeed 2019’s Vision M concept deployed a Very Turbocharged four-cylinder mounted in the middle, allied to a pair of electric motors for 600bhp. At the time, BMW reckoned in EV mode alone, the Vision M had more power than the i8 did in total.

Weight? BMW was targeting between 1,600kg to 1,700kg, and these sketches show that target tightly configured around a gorgeous silhouette that heavily riffs on both the original BMW M1 and that i8. Looks pretty-much production ready, no?

Sadly, it appears the events of a few years ago rather nixed its future. “History was not to be made,” Dukec confirmed in his post. “While we pushed, the world changed in 2020. And so, work on the project unfortunately had to be stopped.

“But that’s how life goes sometimes. As designers, we are familiar with the many twists and turns of such projects. Nevertheless, we’ll never stop dreaming and exploring new possibilities, and there’s always a new project waiting around the corner,” he added.

There’s still time, BMW. We’ll forgive the XM if you resurrect the i16.