BMW has built the 20,000th i8 plug-in hybrid sports car since production started in May 2014 at its plant in Leipzig, Germany.
In the grand scheme of things, building 20,000 cars in five and a half years is not an impressive feat – not even for a plug-in hybrid vehicle. However, the BMW i8 is far from an ordinary PHEV as we’re talking about a car starting at $147,500 (Coupe) and $163,300 (Roadster) in the U.S. – €138,000 and €155,000 in Germany, respectively.
The milestone model is a BMW i8 Roadster of the Ultimate Sophisto Edition that will go to a customer in Germany. Limited to 200 units worldwide, the Ultimate Sophisto Edition features the exclusive Sophisto Grey Brilliant Effect exterior color along with other styling and equipment upgrades.
Related: BMW i8 Ultimate Sophisto Is The Sports Car’s Last Hooray Before Bimmer Pulls The Plug
The Ultimate Sophisto Edition will mark the end of BMW i8 production at the Leipzig plant as the assembly line will stop in April once all 200 limited-run models are made. “The BMW i8 is a very special automobile, which stands for the driving pleasure from Leipzig in a unique way”, emphasizes factory manager Hans-Peter Kemser. “We at the plant are all very proud to produce this flagship of the BMW brand in our company,” the representative added.
Building the BMW i8 is a very complex process as the plug-in hybrid sports car combines innovative materials like ultralight thermoplastic, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), aluminum and magnesium with a complex drive concept consisting of electric and combustion engine technology.
In their latest version, the BMW i8 Coupe and Roadster feature a 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery located centrally in the car’s underbody that delivers an all-electric driving range of 34 miles (55 km) in the Coupe and 33 miles (53 km) in the Roadster – both figures calculated in the NEDC test cycle. The top speed in EV mode is 120 km/h (75 mph).
Both models feature a combined output of 369 HP (374 PS) from their hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 228 HP (231 PS) 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine and a 141 HP (143 PS) electric motor. Thanks to this setup, the BMW i8 Coupe goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds (4.6 seconds for the Roadster), with the top speed being electronically limited at 250 km/h (155 mph).