BMW i8 Spyder Due For Release In 2018 (Finally)

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The BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid was first revealed by the company all the way back in 2012, or at least a coupe version of the of the i8 was. Despite this, 4 years later, the Spyder still hasn’t been released.

BMW i8 Spyder

The CEO of BMW, Harald Krueger, recently commented on the matter, and revealed that the i8 Spyder convertible plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is still forthcoming. … But it won’t be released until 2018.

Why’s it taking so long? Who knows, but considering that BMW is planning for a mid-cycle refresh of the i8 around that time anyways, the timing is probably related to that.

Green Car Reports offers more: “When it does appear, the i8 convertible will likely adopt the Spyder name of the original 2012 concept. In addition to that show car, BMW unveiled a second i8 convertible concept — the i Future Interaction — at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. Adding a convertible version late in the product cycle would help reinvigorate interest in the i8, which made quite a splash when it went into production late in 2014, mostly thanks to its sexy styling and ‘bird-wing’ doors.”

Notably, there isn’t another high-end convertible with a plug on the market, so people who want that type of car, want to drive electric, and have well over $100,000 to spend on a car will basically just have one option.

Unless Tesla begins offering a convertible version of a new Roadster within the next few years, then those looking for an electric convertibles will have no real choices other than the i8 Spyder.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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