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Production Begins for the 2020 BMW 8 Series Convertible 

The new BMW 8 Series convertible, the first soft-top car in the 8 Series lineup, was officially presented on the first day of November. Targeting a market launch for March 2019, there’s little time left for the Germans to get all things ready.
2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line 12 photos
Photo: BMW
2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line2020 BMW 8 Series convertible on the assembly line
In pure German style, in what is one of the fastest transitions from official presentation to start of production, BMW announced on Wednesday the plant in Dingolfing in the carmaker's home country has already started spitting out the convertible.

The short time it took BMW to get things going is of course explained by the fact that this facility has been producing the coupe version of the 8 Series for the past four months, and since the differences are not all that great, part of the lines were quickly converted to assemble the newcomer.

To be made available in two engine variants - M850i xDrive and 840d xDrive, both paired to an eight-speed Steptronic sport gearbox– the model comes with a soft top that can be opened or closed in just 15 seconds, even with the car traveling at speeds of up to 50 kph (31 mph).

There is no word yet on how many 8 Series, both coupe and convertible, the Germans plan to sell. BMW has tried making the nameplate stick once before, in 1989, when the original 8er was presented. After nearly ten years of trying to make the car a hit, BMW gave up and retired the model.

The much better economic conditions of today, which translate into more people affording more expensive cars, probably makes the Germans confident these two new models will eventually mean something for the brand.

In the U.S., the coupe 8 Series starts at $111,900, but get go well over $130,000 fully loaded. The configurator for the convertible variant is not yet available, so there's no telling yet how much one will cost.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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