Photo: BMW
Although we now know that a convertible version of the i8 will be available, an exact launching date has not been provided yet, nor a specific name for the model.
All we know is that in 2012, at the Beijing Motor Show, the concept was called BMW i8 Concept Spyder, therefore this would probably be the name chosen for the production model as well. That said, there is no official confirmation apart from the interview given by BMW CEO Harald Kruger to Handelsblatt.
At the same Beijing Motor Show, the concept presented had a shorter wheelbase and length than the i8 Coupe, while some of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic present on it was accompanied by a lot of aluminum components, so these might be seen on BMW's new i8 Spyder in production guise as well.
Another difference between the Coupe version and this will be that the Spyder will only have two seats while the Coupe is technically a four-seater (2+2). Regarding the power unit, BMW will mount the same 131 hp electric engine on the front axle and the turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine pushing 231hp to the rear wheels. This means you will enjoy the wind in your hair while driving a 362hp plug-in hybrid Spyder.
Other than those tiny details and a retractable roof, the new convertible hybrid should be largely identical to the i8 Coupe, at least until other news about this project surface. Those of you who are still waiting for an i8 M to be born, you must wait a little longer because there are still no signs of this happening in the near future.
The production version of the i8 was unveiled for the first time in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and in Germany it was released one year later. Until September this year, 5,700 units were sold worldwide.
We are wondering how long one will have to wait to own an i8 Spyder, since when the Coupe was released the waiting list was as long as 18 months. Stay tuned for more information about this subject as we near the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where a production i8 Spyder could be unveiled at the earliest.
At the same Beijing Motor Show, the concept presented had a shorter wheelbase and length than the i8 Coupe, while some of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic present on it was accompanied by a lot of aluminum components, so these might be seen on BMW's new i8 Spyder in production guise as well.
Another difference between the Coupe version and this will be that the Spyder will only have two seats while the Coupe is technically a four-seater (2+2). Regarding the power unit, BMW will mount the same 131 hp electric engine on the front axle and the turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine pushing 231hp to the rear wheels. This means you will enjoy the wind in your hair while driving a 362hp plug-in hybrid Spyder.
Other than those tiny details and a retractable roof, the new convertible hybrid should be largely identical to the i8 Coupe, at least until other news about this project surface. Those of you who are still waiting for an i8 M to be born, you must wait a little longer because there are still no signs of this happening in the near future.
The production version of the i8 was unveiled for the first time in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and in Germany it was released one year later. Until September this year, 5,700 units were sold worldwide.
We are wondering how long one will have to wait to own an i8 Spyder, since when the Coupe was released the waiting list was as long as 18 months. Stay tuned for more information about this subject as we near the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, where a production i8 Spyder could be unveiled at the earliest.
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