Back in July news emerged that BMW is working on a hotted-up version of the i8 hybrid sports car to mark their centenary celebrations in 2016. The car is going to be called the i9, and based on the latest reports it is going to be significantly more potent than the i8.

BMW i9 will feature the same sort of carbon fiber tune construction as the i8 and the same basic hybrid system with a petrol engine in the middle of the chassis boosted with a couple of electric motors. But whereas the i8 got a small three-cylinder engine, the i9 is said to be getting a 3.0-litre six-cylinder.

The new I-6 engine is brand-new and has little in common with the current six-cylinder used in a wide range of BMW models. The new engine is being developed for use in the next 7 Series. In the i9 it will be paired with beefier electric motors.

BMW i9 will also boast more aggressive styling than the i8 and will be considerably quicker as well. Seeing as the i8 can do 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, the i9 could potentially have supercar-rivaling performance.

All the evidence suggests that BMW i9 is actually what we were expecting as BMW i8M. But the Bavarian company says they have no intention of mixing the ‘i’ brand with the ‘M’.

Via Autocar