Facelifted BMW i8 Could Arrive Next Year With More Power And Greater Range

As well as a facelifted #BMW i3 launching next year, the automaker is also expected to unveil an updated i8 and if new reports are to be believed, it will benefit from a number of enhancements over the current car.

BMW Blog asserts that power from the electric motor and 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine will rise by 15 hp, raising power from the current 362 hp to just below the 380 hp mark. Although only a moderate increase, acceleration for the facelifted i8 should be slightly improved over the outgoing model.

Perhaps of more importance than the horsepower gains will be the added range the refreshed i8 will benefit from. It is thought that the sports car will adopt a thoroughly revised battery pack which could increase its range by as much as 50 per cent, as predicted for the facelifted i3. There’s a possibility that BMW will implement the 10 kWh battery of the current i8 Formula E safety car into the street car up from the current 7.1 kWh unit.

The new i8 should also handle better than the existing model thanks in no small part to a revised suspension system previewed by the Formula E safety car. That may include revised springs and dampers, a lower ride height and modified upper wishbones.