A new report indicates the BMW i8 Concept Spyder that debuted last year has been given the green light for production by the firm’s top brass. Based on the recently-unveiled 2015 i8 coupe, the Spyder will reportedly arrive in showrooms all around the world in late 2015 as a 2016 model.
The i8 Spyder will be identical to its coupe counterpart but it will feature a removable roof panel likely made out of carbon fiber. The concept’s overall science fiction-esque shape will remain, but the car will be fitted with more realistic tail lamps and conventional side windows. The scissor doors that swing upwards and the unusual “stream flow” C-pillars will remain.
Like the coupe, the i8 Spyder will be powered by a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain consisting of a turbocharged 1.5-liter three cylinder engine and a small electric motor. Together, the two power sources will send about 362 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. of torque to all four wheels via an automatic transmission.
The plug-in hybrid drivetrain will propel the i8 from zero to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 155 mph. Alternatively, the i8 will be able to operate on electricity alone for up to 22 miles at speeds of up to 75 mph thanks to a liquid cooled 5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted beneath the floor. Recharging will take three and a half hours with a 110-volt outlet or an hour and a half with a high-voltage BMW charging station.
The production version of the BMW i8 Spyder could greet the public for the first time at next September’s Paris Motor Show.
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