BMW i8 Spyder Soon to be Unveiled
It appears the long awaited BMW i8 Spyder will soon appear in production form, as reported by German newspaper Handelsblatt. BMW CEO Harald Krueger went on record saying the drop-top i8 would debut in the near future, which some meant to indicate that it would make its first appearance at the currently ongoing 2016 Detroit Auto Show; we now know this was not the case.
With Detroit ruled out, it is likely the BMW i8 Spyder will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in late February, a more traditional stage for exotic vehicles.
The i8 Spyder concept was first presented in Beijing in 2012. Three years have passed since then and with the coupe model well into production, its uncertain at this point why BMW have not yet pushed the convertible variant into market.
A possible positive outcome of the delay is that the i8 Spyder may feature an upgraded powertrain with both improvements to the internal combustion engine and battery. The current 1.5-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged combustion engine—producing 231-hp—could possibly be replaced by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with roughly 300-hp, which would bring the total combined output of the electric motor and gas engine to somewhere in the neighborhood of 450-hp. It is also rumored that range will be extended, thanks to the larger battery.
It’s uncertain at this point whether the BMW i8 Spyder will utilize removable roof panels, like the concept, or an automatically retracting hardtop roof or soft top roof found in its current range of vehicles.
Meanwhile, BMW made certain that the imminent debut of the i8 Spyder was kept at the forefront of the media by showcasing it’s BMW iVision Future Interaction Concept at 2016 International CES earlier this month in Las Vegas. The iVision Concept is based on the i8 Concept Spyder, sans doors, and loaded with a wide variety of futuristic automotive tech.
The highlight of the iVision Concept’s interior is a large 21” diagonal display which dominates the dashboard, yet is only 4.3” tall, keeping the dashboard at the same height as the standard i8, which allows the driver optimal road visibility. Many of the car’s navigation, entertainment and connectivity features are controlled with simple hand gestures, a technology which BMW calls “AirTouch.”
Also offered are three different driving modes: Pure Drive, Assist and Auto. In Pure Drive the driver maintains full control of the vehicle; in Assist mode the driver still operates the vehicle but the vehicle’s safety aids will engage if a collision or other danger is anticipated. And, as expected, in Auto mode, the vehicle will drive autonomously, which will be indicated by the retracting of the steering wheel which will then turn blue.
Search: BMW Cars For Sale, BMW i8 For Sale
