Photo: Carpix
With its futuristic styling and its CFRP structure, the BMW i8 feels like anything but an aging machine and yet the hybrid sportscar is scheduled to receive a mid-cycle revamp. BMW has confirmed that we'll be treated with an i8 Spyder next year and we are now looking at the first professional spyshots of the open-air hybrid.
Following the Coupe-based test mules we met last year and the smartphone-snapped photos we brought you earlier this month, we can now take a better look at the 2019 BMW i8 Spyder, with the prototype seen here having been caught performing its cold weather testing duties.
All the camouflage on the test vehicle makes it difficult for us to spot the visual changes ariving with the facelift. Even so, we can focus on two key elements that come from the Spyder part of the tale.
We'll start with the roof - judging by the top itself and the layout of the elements sitting in between the side windows and the engine compartment, we're dealing with a power-folding canvas setup.
As for the humps adorning the rear section of the sportscar, these follow the design featured on the i8 Spyder concept, so we're looking at an eye-catching production promise here, one that will also bring decent rear visibility.
In the powertrain department, we've seen the Bavarian automaker upgrading the i8 Formula E safety car's battery pack from 7.1 to 10 kWh, so we can expect a serious driving range increase (think: 50 percent) for the facelifted model, be it a Coupe or a Spider.
The rumor mill goes as far as talking about an combined output boost that would take the plug-in hybrid sportscar from its current 362 hp to over 400 ponies, with tweaks being prepared for both the 1.5-liter three-cylinder mill and the electric motor powering the front axle.
BMW could also address the conservative handling criticism, delivering a more tail-happy driving mode for the i8, but it's too early to disuss such aspects.
All the camouflage on the test vehicle makes it difficult for us to spot the visual changes ariving with the facelift. Even so, we can focus on two key elements that come from the Spyder part of the tale.
We'll start with the roof - judging by the top itself and the layout of the elements sitting in between the side windows and the engine compartment, we're dealing with a power-folding canvas setup.
As for the humps adorning the rear section of the sportscar, these follow the design featured on the i8 Spyder concept, so we're looking at an eye-catching production promise here, one that will also bring decent rear visibility.
In the powertrain department, we've seen the Bavarian automaker upgrading the i8 Formula E safety car's battery pack from 7.1 to 10 kWh, so we can expect a serious driving range increase (think: 50 percent) for the facelifted model, be it a Coupe or a Spider.
The rumor mill goes as far as talking about an combined output boost that would take the plug-in hybrid sportscar from its current 362 hp to over 400 ponies, with tweaks being prepared for both the 1.5-liter three-cylinder mill and the electric motor powering the front axle.
BMW could also address the conservative handling criticism, delivering a more tail-happy driving mode for the i8, but it's too early to disuss such aspects.
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