The BMW i8

From vision to icon, from bestseller to future classic

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Six years after its debut, the BMW i8 will end its product life cycle, destined for the Hall of Fame of BMW sports cars. The BMW i8 started its worldwide success story as a unique symbiosis of futuristic design and pioneering technology, and was the first plug-in hybrid paving the way for driving pleasure that was as dynamic as it was sustainable. It laid the foundation for the BMW Group's now broad range of plug-in hybrid models, even as it developed into the world's most successful sports car with an electrified drive system with more than 20 000 units sold since 2014.

Already an enticing prospect for the future of individual mobility, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics was a concept study presented at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in 2009, representing the promise of combining hallmark BMW driving pleasure and inspiring design with pioneering sustainability. The study of a 2+2-seater sports car with gull-wing doors, a reinterpretation of the typical BMW design language, plug-in hybrid system and four-wheel drive that is entirely geared towards aesthetics and efficiency, met with an overwhelming response.