
BMW i8 Spyder Is just around the Corner
BMW i8 was first unveiled in the second half of 2013 and it was just a matter of time until the carmaker would unveil a convertible version of the most powerful plug-in hybrid ever built.
The convertible would be called the Spyder and it would be based on the i8 Spyder concept the carmaker built about three years ago. The good news is that Harald Kruger, BMW Chairman, has also confirmed that such a model would be just around the corner.
Kruger also stated in an interview that the BMW i8 Spyder would emerge on the market pretty soon, just as the i8 was delivered in the first semester of 2014, after its official launch in late 2013.
Chances are that the upcoming i8 Spyder might look exactly the same as the i8 Spyder concept, coming with a semi-transparent hood, open top design, rakish windscreen and integrated spoiler. The model might also sport a shortened wheelbase.
In the engine department, the BMW i8 Spyder would carry over the same hybrid powertrain from the present i8. We might be looking here at the same 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder engine backed by an electric motor, which is hooked to a lithium-ion battery pack. The overall power would stand at 362 horsepower.
This would be enough to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds, at a topping of 250 km/h. The present i8 returns 2.1 L / 100 km/h, so we might expect the same figures for the Spyder version.