This is how the BMW i16 was going to be, the successor to the BMW i8 that never came to be

Major manufacturers often prepare models that never reach production. Normally, some of the proposals they offer end up in other models that do make it onto the production line, while others simply disappear. The case of the BMW i16 seems to be one of the latter, although part of what it showed at the time could end up in a future project from the German firm.

This model was going to be the replacement for the BMW i8, and its development began with that goal. Then came 2020, and everything related to this model ended up disappearing. One of the reasons, as can be guessed, was the arrival of the COVID pandemic, which forced manufacturers to halt many developments in progress, this one among them.

The BMW i16 was a car very similar to the i8, from which it took its proportions and some details, but which included other details that came from the concept model BMW M Next, presented in 2019. From this it obtained the two-tone body paint. The final result of the model was quite spectacular and offered interesting features that could have made it a car worth considering.

At the front we could see headlights larger than those on the concept model, framing the well-known split kidney-shaped grille that all models from the Bavarian brand have. The doors resemble those fitted to the BMW i8, though with some changes. The rear recalls the concept model more.

It uses the slim lights that defined this model’s style, in addition to featuring a windscreen formed by three panels, reminiscent of a vented engine cover.

As announced by BMW, development of this model was completed in just 12 months. This was thanks to the use of a carbon monocoque chassis inherited from the i8. This made it possible to place the engine in the same position as in the i8 and share some elements with the outgoing model.

There are no details about the mechanical characteristics of this model, although it is believed it would have kept the same plug-in hybrid system, but with improvements in range and power. In fact, this model was expected to offer a combined output of 600 CV, thanks to a four-cylinder engine and two electric motors.

As for range, the i16 was expected to be capable of offering up to 96 kilometres on a single charge.

The BMW 18 ceased production in 2020, but there was no successor. The BMW i18 came to an end and no model remained in the catalogue to cover that offering. Now, there are new models that could do so, though in a different way, such as the BMW XM, although what could have been remains a memory. And, who knows, what it could become in the not-too-distant future.