When BMW presented the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car in production form at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, oh how many had laughed about it being powered by a measly three-pot borrowed from MINI. Be that as it may, the BMW i8 proved extremely popular. And as electrification continues to gain a foothold, the Bavarian brand is now preparing the i8 Roadster.
Confirmed by BMW officials time and time again, the BMW i8 Roadster has been once again rubber-stamped, as per a report from Automotive News Europe. This time around, however, none other than the manufacturer’s head honcho, Harald Krueger, confirmed that the i8 Roadster will be here in 2018.
It remains to be seen if that will translate into a 2018 or 2019 model year vehicle, but it's certain that the i8 Roadster will be launched will a handful of visual and powertrain updates that will trickle down to the fixed-head i8. In other words, the spyder variant will be added to BMW’s lineup alongside the BMW i8 facelift. Previewed by a wildly styled concept car unveiled in 2012, the heavily-anticipated i8 Roadster will surely be worth the wait.
Other than the one-off showpiece, the 2018 BMW i8 Roadster has also been spied by the shutterbugs dropping hot laps on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The prototypes for the open-top PHEV are equipped with a detachable roof panel with a little duct tape for good measure. While this makeshift solution will be polished for the production model, the i8 Roadster is expected to further lose its back seats to make room for storing the removable roof panel.
While Krueger continues to keep its lips shut about what else is in store for the 2018 BMW i8 Roadster and the facelifted version of the i8 coupe, it’s fair to expect a longer range and a more powerful eDrive plug-in hybrid powertrain. Previous reports suggest that battery capacity will go up to 14.2 kWh or so, while combined get-up-and-go is expected to hike to 420 horsepower or thereabout compared to today’s 357 ponies. A pure electric version of the i8 is also in the cards, expected to debut at a later date.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News