BMW showcased the i8 Coupe concept way back in 2009. Then the production-ready model was revealed in 2013 and the car was finally available for the market in 2014. That's how long it took BMW to bring the i8 from a concept to a real car. Now, according to the folks at Topgear.com, they were told by BMW during the last year's CES (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas, that the i8 Roadster or the i8 Spyder Concept would be a reality very, very soon.
Well, a few pictures of the first build of the BMW i8 Roadster have been released. The new car will be built in Leipzig. It is very likely that it will come equipped with the same 1.5 litre, three-cylinder engine and an electric motor that has been used for the i8 Coupe. The power figures are likely to remain the same as well.
BMW told Topgear.com, “In 2018 the BMW i8 Roadster will unlock the door to a whole new dimension in pioneering open-top driving pleasure - virtually silent and with zero local emissions.” Talking about emissions, the new i8 Roadster would an estimated CO2 of 48g/km, four more than the current generation i8 Coupe.
It is expected that the i8 Roadster would be as good a handler as the i8 Coupe because BMW has used the same carbon fibre body setup. As of now, no further details regarding the Roadster have been revealed. We really hope that the final product would look as good as the concept that BMW showcased at last year's CES.
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