The release of the BMW i8 was certainly a very exciting highlight of our month, but our next question quickly became, “When do we see the Mi8?” After all, with the i8 being one of the best performing hybrids available today with one of the most athletic designs, the idea of an ‘M’ series i8 seems somewhat vital to achieving our desires.
But, apparently, BMW thinks otherwise. Even though BMW has an ‘M’ version of just about every other line-up available, they’ve decided that the two branches, M-division and i-division, are to remain “pillars” for the company’s platform.
“I don’t think it would make sense to mix these two sub-brands in one car.” – Cypselus con Frakenberg, BMW Corporate Affairs and Head of Communications Technology
“I don’t think it would make sense to mix these two sub-brands in one car. We have the Ms, we have the i, and we have the BMW, the core brand.” Said Cypselus von Frakenberg, BMW Corporate Affairs and Head of Communications Technology, in a Sept. 12 CarAdvice press release.
He continued to say in that same release, “I don’t think it’s necessary. You look at the car [i8], it’s an i version. You look at the LifeDrive architecture of the car, it wouldn’t make sense to bring M to that.”
Putting it that way, we are brought to rethink our assumption, and unsurprisingly, he’s right. The i8 already performs with specifications close to those of the M3, delivering a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds, or so BMW says.
And, although the top speed of the i8 is compromised by the efficiency when compared to the M3, the architecture of the car and the innovative technology leads way to a design that needs no ‘M’ emblem for a sport feel or look. BMW has truly come to the full understanding that even the most powerful of companies, no matter the size, requires two legs to stand strong. The ‘M’ series and the ‘i’ series are exactly that.
(Source: CarAdvice.com.au)
