Happy Birthday, BMW!
The Bavarian Motor Works celebrates its 100 in 2016, and the automotive giant is expected to mark the occasion with the 2016 BMW i9 Hybrid. Little is known at this point, but we expect the four-door vehicle to be built on an i8-style chassis. There’s speculation that, since it’s an odd number, this car may be a luxury high-performance car. Think chauffeur-driven rich people in China (the car is supposed to premier at the Beijing Auto Show in April, 2015). Others think that the 2016 BMW i9 Hybrid may be sporty like the i8, a sedan/sports car like the Jaguar XJ or reminiscent of the 9 Series GT Concept. At this early date, no one knows for sure.
BMW has been mum about the details, but that doesn’t prevent us from speculating about them anyway.
Price of 2016 i9 Hybrid
The i8, BMW’s highest-priced model, begins at about USD 135,700. Expect the i9 to be released in limited quantities and sell for considerably higher: perhaps USD 175,000.
2016 BMW i9 Hybrid release date
BMW’s release dates have been all over the calendar in the past few years, but assuming the car is at the April auto show, expect a an early summer release in 2015.
Performance
According to one report, the 2016 BMW i9 hybrid will have substantially more power than the 3-cyl, 357-hp, 1.5-l i8. That may mean a 6-cyl, 425-hp, 3.0-l engine, along with an upgraded 150-hp electric motor. How such an engine will fit on the i8 chassis is anyone’s guess. That motor would translate to 0-60 in about 4.0 seconds, and a top speed of about 155-mph.
2016 BMW i9 Hybrid Battery
Electric cars are becoming more and more sophisticated with every model year. The i8 has a 6.0-kWh lithium-ion battery, so the 2016 BMW i9 Hybrid will probably have something even bigger. The i9 may have a smart engine which automatically converts from gasoline to electricity depending on the vehicle’s speed, sort of like a very advanced automatic transmission.
Specifications
year:2016
make:BMW
Model:i
price:$ 175000
0-60 time:4 sec. (Est.)
Top Speed:155 mph (Est.)
Body
The i9 should have a very lightweight construction, mostly aluminum and carbon fibers, to optimize the engine’s performance. That may allow engineers to cheat a bit, and install a smaller engine that still performs as advertised.
Comparable Cars
Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Mercedes AMG GT and other high-performance hybrids. If you’re willing and able to drop 200k on a car, you want something really nice.
Whatever it looks like and runs like, the 2016 BMW i9 Hybrid will likely be the last of the “i” series, as Hyundai already owns the “i10” moniker. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
