Hands up. Eyes roll. Heads shake. How many times have we BMW enthusiasts been told that a rumored sports car has been cancelled by the board. If this week’s report by Automobile has any truth to it, we received a big dose of cancel this week with the rumor that the i8s, M8, Z2 and 9 Series have all been shelved due to costs. According to the article all these projects were kept alive by former BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. However BMW’s new governance, headed by chairman Harald Krüger and R&D chief Klaus Fröhlich had a closer look at costs and the strategic importance of all upcoming products which reportedly led to the death blows.

Based on the report, the only new concept left over from Norbert Reithofer will be the i5 sedan. Rumors point to the i5 being available either as
pure electric or a plug-in hybrid. The electric version will reportedly have a 225-hp rear motor that works in tandem with a second 135-hp motor up front. Ranges estimates are 250 miles. The plugin will be the performance model and should be capable of 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds with over 400 combined hp. Inductive charging should be optional.