BMW I9 Supercar Rumored to Celebrate Centenary

Luke Vandezande
by Luke Vandezande

BMW’s family of i cars could have a new halo in time for the company’s 100th anniversary.

According to a report from Bimmerfile, the company is working on a sports car that will sit above the i8, tentatively called the i9. Rather than using the three-cylinder gasoline engine found in the i8, BMW will shoehorn a straight-six that will also power the next 7 Series and use more powerful electric motors to generate a total of roughly 500 hp.

Like the i8, this car will be able to travel limited distances solely on electric power. But thanks to the beefier powertrain and minimal weight the carbon fiber chassis will afford BMW, the company reportedly expects this to be its fastest road car ever.

BMW hasn’t said when it plans to star celebrating its 100th birthday, but the company was founded in 1916, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the champagne starts flowing sometime next year in a lead-up to the anniversary on March 7, 2016.

Discuss this story at our BMW forum[Source: Bimmerfile]

Luke Vandezande
Luke Vandezande

Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.

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