BMW i8 production reaches 20,000 units

Since its global launch in 2014, BMW has now produced 20,000 units of the i8. Allotted to a German customer, the 20,000^th i8 is an Ultimate Sophisto Edition of which only 400 samples have been built

Five years after it came into production, BMW has now produced 20,000 samples of the i8. The celebratory unit, an Ultimate Sophisto Edition, will be driven home by a German customer. Only 400 units of this special edition model will be built – 200 Coupes and 200 roadsters. Producing 20,000 units in five years may not seem like a great feat for a production car, but when you consider the plug-in hybrid’s $1,47,500 price tag (converts to Rs 1.04 crore) for the Coupe and $1,63,300 (converts to Rs 1.16 crore) for the roadster, it does call for a reason to celebrate.

Coming back to the model in question, it sports a Sophisto Grey exterior paint with E-copper accents on the front grille, alloy wheels, as well as the interior. This i8 will also sit on specially designed 20-inch alloy wheels. To give this special edition an exclusive feel, the Ultimate Sophisto will also wear exclusive badging inside.

The heart of the i8, however, will remain unchanged. It will continue to be powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder motor that develops 228bhp. The motor gets assistance from an electric motor that is powered by a 11.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Both the motors collectively help the i8 produce 369bhp and 570Nm.

BMW is expected to stop production of the i8 in April 2020, once it has developed all 400 units of the Ultimate Sophisto Edition. The German carmaker hasn’t yet announced the successor of the i8 as yet.

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