Looks like this time BMW is serious about making a successor to the legendary M1 super car (pictured above). There has never been a solid plan in place to make a supercar under the current CEO Norbert Reithofer’s watch, because he is more of a family car man. But this time it’s the boss of M division who’s pushing for a halo model.

Seeing as in the M division they do as they please, chances of a BMW supercar actually seeing the light of day is pretty good. It is not going to be called the M1 though. BMW is reportedly going to base the car on the i8 hybrid electric sports car, and so it will be called the M8.

It cold also share some of its underpinnings with the i8, such as the carbon/aluminum construction. This will give the M8 a weight advantage over the conventional sports car, and also reduces the cost of production. The M8 won’t be a hybrid or anything of the sort though. It is going to be a full-on M car with a 600+ hp V8 engine and all the other M bits and bobs.

The M8 could be released as soon as 2016 to mark the company’s centenary.

via Automobile