BMW supercar rumours: hybrid power, price and release date

BMW is reportedly planning to launch a new supercar to spearhead its line-up and rival the McLaren 570S.

Klaus Frohlich, BMW’s board member in charge of development, has told Autocar that he believes “electrification” will help the company develop a new-generation supercar.

“If we have these very compact and very powerful electric driving units, if we have a carbon-fibre chassis - for example, the i8’s - and if we still have high-performance engines, then, if you do it cleverly, you can combine them into a real performance package,” Frohlich said.

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“If you look at the supercars - the McLarens, the Ferraris - beyond 2020, they will be all partially electric,” he continued, adding that the plug-in hybrid models currently under development at BMW could put the German marque in pole position to deliver a class-leading supercar.

According to Autocar, the supercar will not replace BMW’s existing i8 hybrid sports car but will instead be an all-new model in the line-up.

The rumoured model would also be the first supercar in BMW’s range since the racing-inspired M1 from the late 1970s.

Here is what else we know about the potential newcomer:

When will it launch?

The new model is slated to hit the market by 2023, reports Motor1.

How much will it cost?

Given that the supercar will probably rival the McLaren 570S and Honda’s hybrid NSX, Autocar expects a price tag of roughly £150,000.

How much power will it have?

The new model is expected to produce around 700bhp, which is almost double that of the 369bhp i8 sports car and notably more than the upcoming M8 sports coupe.

Motor1 says the supercar should feature a combustion engine that is “much larger” than the 1.5-litre three-cylinder motor in the i8. This would be coupled with a hybrid system of electric motors and a set of batteries.