BMW will stop making its hyper-futuristic sports car, the i8. Here's how it became the best-selling car of its kind.

After six years, BMW will end production of its i8 hybrid sports car in April.
The i8 arrived 2014, and BMW went on to sell more than 20,000 units. According to BMW, that makes the i8 the most popular sports car of its kind.
The i8 isn't your typical hybrid, sporting butterfly doors, 374 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque, and a 0-to-62-mph time of 4.4 seconds.
You can still buy an i8 today. The coupe version starts at $147,500, while the convertible variant will run you $163,300.
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When most people think of hybrids, they think of cars like the Toyota Prius a practical, if dull, commuting option. But the BMW i8 helped prove that plug-in hybrids do have a place among the envied, even if they sip gas instead of gulp it.

And after six years, its reign as the sports car of the future will come to an end in April.

BMW formally memorialized the i8 last week, after reports of its death circulated for months. A company spokesperson confirmed the news in January when reports popped up then, so it's safe to say the decision isn't related to the coronavirus pandemic.

When the i8 production line does halt, it'll mark the end of the car that helped show many what good fuel economy and performance things that were long incompatible look like as a team. It wasn't the only hybrid sports car of the time, given the existence of the Porsche 918 , Ferrari LaFerrari , and McLaren P1 , but it was more attainable pedestrian, almost, compared to the others.

BMW has thus sold more than 20,000 units since the i8 hit dealerships in 2014, compared to the seven-figure P1's production cap of 375 cars. That makes it the best-selling car of its kind, according to BMW.

Explore the history of the i8 and what makes it special below:

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