The BMW iM2 is rumored to be a ridiculously powerful hypercar that, at 1,300 hp, could outrun the upcoming Tesla Roadster, but not the Lotus Evya

The news comes from an unnamed source in the subscription-based Car Magazine, as reported by Car Advice The BMW iM2 will be built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW's M division The electric motor will be mounted on a 2021 BMW M2 CS-based model

The rumored 1,000 kW car, which translates to 1,300 hp, absolutely beats the 215 kW (288 hp) old Tesla Roadster, according to Cnet However, we do not know the horsepower of the next Tesla Roadster However, with a 0-60 time of 19 seconds, it is sure to be fast off the line

Unfortunately, there are many reasons to believe that this claim is merely wishful thinking: according to Car Magazine, an unnamed source who is said to have inside information, BMW is developing a vehicle internally code-named "Project Katharina" The leak The vehicle will be named iM2 As the name suggests, it will be a high-performance electric vehicle based on the upcoming 2 Series

This anniversary model will be powered by four electric motors and one megawatt of power This is roughly 1,341 horsepower This power is said to be enough to accelerate the iM2 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in about 25 seconds and to loosen the tires at speeds up to 75 mph (120 km/h) on a dry straightaway On top of that, the iM2 is said to be capable of lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6 minutes and 50 seconds

Given these statistics and their specificity, one is inclined to believe the rumors are true According to BMW, "BMW M GmbH was founded in 1972 as a division of the BMW brand for sporty products It makes total sense that the German automaker would want to create an outrageous performance model to commemorate its 50-year milestone And BMW is testing a development mule for the upcoming 2 Series In fact, one model spotted in March had modifications that indicate it will probably have electric propulsion

On the other hand, there is much to suggest that this is merely wishful thinking First, the Catalina project has not been confirmed for production Even the enthusiast website BMW Blog has dismissed the idea Then there are the great statistics While exciting, they may be beyond credibility We're not talking about the new Koenigsegg; we're talking about BMW's most powerful production car ever, the BMW M5 CS, which produces 627 horsepower But it's a leap to think that BMW will more than double that number within a year, especially in such a small car

That doesn't mean BMW will miss the chance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its M division, which has made the ultimate driving machine even more ultimate There is no doubt that the company will build something worthy of such a milestone, but it probably won't be as over-the-top powerful as the rumored iM2