BMW i8 Spyder To Finally Arrive
Originally published on EV Obsession.
The BMW i8 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept was revealed more than 3 years ago, so many of you have probably forgotten about it by now (or never learned about it to begin with), but those who haven’t will probably be interested to hear that the concept is now headed to production, according to recent reports.
The production confirmation for the concept is coming via BMW Chairman Harald Krüger, so appears to be completely credible — so those of you wanting one can likely get your hopes up now without issue. 🙂
Specifics as far as a release date, etc, have yet to be revealed, but the comments made by Krüger imply that the wait shouldn’t be too long.
World Car Fans provides more:
Krüger was tight-lipped on specifics told Handelsblatt the model will be introduced relatively soon. There’s no word on timing but BMW delivered the first i8s in mid-2014 so hopefully the company doesn’t intend of making us wait too much longer. It remains unclear how much the production model will have in common with the concept but the latter had a semi-transparent hood, an open top design and a rakish windscreen with an integrated spoiler. The model also had stylish rear buttresses and a shortened wheelbase.
The i8’s plug-in hybrid powertrain will likely carryover and consist of a 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder engine, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. This setup enables the coupe to produce a combined maximum output of 362 PS (266 kW). In terms of performance, the model can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and hit a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Of course, the real standout feature (is) the ability to return 2.1 L/100 km (134.5 mpg UK / 112 mpg US) and travel up to 37 km (23 miles) on electricity alone.
I like the look of the concept personally, so I’m pretty interested in seeing how much carries over to the production version… (Even though I can’t afford one, of course.)
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Excuse me, there’s still that big issue…
…. the price!
Expensive.
If you’re in the market for a supercar like this one, you want it to be expensive. Otherwise you’d just buy a V8 Camaro / Mustang. Plenty of speed / handling there, almost identical acceleration wise, for a fraction of the price.
If you’re buying a car that expensive, you’re doing it because you want to attract attention to yourself.
A perception of EV vehicles shifted from a golf cart to being a toy for reach people. Dont know which one is better.
Status icon beats golf cart any day.
People getting used to the idea that EV are not for mass production but for status icon for those who can afford is not a good thing.
It is if we’re ever going to shed the “wussy lib-mobile” stigma. EV’s are going to be affordable soon. I’d rather the ranks of male temporarily embarrassed millionaires buy the now affordable status icon instead of another pickup. Look at all the people driving the cheap BMW’s.
The Leaf and several plug ins (Volt, Fusion, Cmax) are very affordable now especially when including incentives and O&M savings.
I’m confused. I’ve seen BMW i8’s around L.A. for the past year and a half. What’s new about this?
The drop top
Can I say every time I read a discussion on price for clean energy it leads to making a profit! Where is the SAVE THE PLANET reason to use clean energy in the first place gone and would it not be better to pay a little for doing the right thing.
Our only hope is that people can make a profit out of saving the planet.
If we wait for people to get concerned enough to do the right thing it will likely be too late.
For technology to go mainstream it has to be better in nearly every way. Unfortunately, requiring sacrifice will not result in mass market adoption. Most current EVs still result in some compromise but the benefits in performance, and O&M savings are sufficient for many to make the plunge now.