Thought BMW’s i8 was futuristic? This i9 concept makes it look ancient

By Andrew Hard December 29, 2014

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Every day, we inch closer to the futuristic settings displayed in films like Minority Report, Blade Runner, and I, Robot.

We won’t touch on the social and geopolitical aspects of those films here, but our daily drivers are resembling Hollywood’s progressive creations more each year. Want proof? Revisit the radical styling of BMW’s i8.

A successor to the BMW i8 has been rumored for some time now, and a particularly talented fan from BMW Blog has rendered what the hybrid sports car, possibly called the i9, could look like.

The two-door looks like something plucked straight from science fiction, with dramatically angled fenders, Sonic the Hedgehog wheels, and a rear end that may or may not feature an ion thruster from a TIE fighter.

Will we ever see these crazy angles on the road? Unlikely, but it’s quite interesting to speculate.

BMW-i9-rendering-002 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The i9 has reportedly been approved for production in 2016. It will likely equip the same carbon fiber tub as its predecessor, but with a new, modular 3.0-liter engine working in tandem with an electric motor to produce more power.

Exactly how much energy the hybrid powertrain will produce is unknown at this time, but rumors are that BMW is targeting 500 horsepower and a 3.5-second 0 to 60 mph time. That’s a significant improvement over the i8’s 4.1-second achievement, which will push the car into bona fide supercar territory.

That classification makes sense, given that the car is a celebration of the German company’s 100^th anniversary and an homage of sorts to the iconic M1.

In November, we reported that BMW may be planning yet another entrant into its ‘i’ lineup, a hydrogen-fueled i5 with technology sourced from Toyota’s Mirai FCV.

(BMW i9 rendering via BMW Blog)

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Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…

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The 2019 BMW i8 and the 2019 Acura NSX may seem like very different machines in your mind’s eye, given that the beemer is most likely to be seen at the new downtown cocktail bar, while the fancy Honda’s natural habitat is the parking lot of a post-IPO dog rental service. But pop on those mental reading glasses and look again. Both cars are two-seaters, both are focused on showcasing cutting-edge technology, and both have outrageous styling. Most importantly, and most surprisingly, both start at the same price. You can drive home in either an i8 or an NSX if you’ve got $155,000 in Dogecoin (or the internet monopoly-money of your choice). So while you might not initially think of cross-shopping these two vehicles, they are actually playing in the same league. Therefore, let’s put them head-to-head and see who comes out the winner. The answer may surprise you. Or not. I’m not in your head.
Judging a book by its cover
While you might not initially think of cross-shopping these two vehicles, they are actually playing in the same league.

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It’s what’s inside that counts
Things are reversed on the interior. The BMW feels fancier than a 3-series but doesn’t quite deliver your $155,000 worth of luxury or materials. It’s such a letdown to see so beautiful a car, to operate its amazing swan doors, and then plop into a ho-hum interior that is all-too contemporary. The designers took such stylistic chances on the body, why couldn’t they do the same with the materials and surfaces here? Especially when the interior of the down market i3 is so much more futuristic with its floating screens and matte wood trim. The one high-point on the i8 would be the uncured carbon fiber cloth accents that are used throughout the cabin.