The Los Angeles Auto Show set to open its gates towards the end of the month will be the venue where the world will get to see for the first time the BMW i8 Roadster in all its glory. Officially confirmed earlier this year and with rumors about it surfacing online since 2012 – when the concept was unveiled – it’s about time we get to see the two-seat hybrid show its face to the world. Until then though, the Germans are teasing us with all sorts of videos, like the one posted below.
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In it we get to see what looks like a BMW i8 Roadster on the assembly line in Leipzig, on the suspension testing bank and with a textile roof in place, leaving no more room for debates on the subject. We’ve been reporting for a while now that the Roadster will get a textile roof using which means the rear window – which was already quite small on the i8 – will be minuscule.
Sources are also claiming that the Roadster will bring forward a few small design changes on the front and rear ends which will be adopted by the i8 Coupe as well when the facelift comes around. Under the skin, the powertrain will get an upgrade as well, our own sources claiming the power output will be close to 400 HP.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a clear answer to whether the bump in output will be due to an upgrade done to the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged mill or the electric motor. What we do know however is that the electric range will go up and the batteries will have a higher energy density, similar to what can be found on the 94 Ah BMW i3.
Nonetheless, the BMW i8 Roadster is set to be a head turner once it is revealed, just like the Coupe model. The Los Angeles Auto Show can’t come any sooner for all of us curious about the new drop top from BMW.
does this mean the coupe version will be updated soon too? hope so. what I’m most interested in are;
(i) Performance output: 362hp is too paltry for a car in that price range. I don’t want to hear the argument that the car is light (so is a McLaren/Lambo/Ferrari etc., and those got heavy ICE engines). 440+hp should be the minimum, with humongous torque increase. Also, the electric range has to be much longer.
(ii) Tyres: too many reviewers complained about the i8’s skinny tyres being bad for grip/cornering and handling. Some reviewers compared it to tyres on a Prius. I have never driven a Prius but i8 for what it is should have better wider tyres
(iii) Doors/entry: the doors go up and thats very fancy but there a high lip on its entry sill and the car seats sit very low making entry into the car an awkward manoeuvre.
(iv) Interior: the interior needs to be refreshed. i8 was futuristic when it was released 2/3 years ago, now it looks too familiar and too simple and those usual BMW buttons now look cheap and very dated. Any newly introduced i8 coupe/roadster should always look futuristic especially on the interior. Rumoured UK price for the roadster is £130k+ compared to the i8 coupe’s price of £106k+. A £130k BMW had better come with all the full goodies loaded. One shouldn’t have to option anything. It should be all included.
(v) Customisation: in the current i8, there isn’t too much customisation one can do to the driving/handling/ride height/performance etc of the car.
those are the main things. other expectations are; redesigned headlights and grille and perhaps new innovative/technological add-on stuff. BMW shouldn’t just cut the roof off the i8 and ask for more money.
Coupe next summer.
Thats just ’round the corner. Nice 😊
Yes, the Coupe will also get a face-lift next year. You can’t compare the i8 to those cars. They are roughly 5 or six times more expensive and have much bigger engines, as you said. The tires won’t be changed because they’d affect the eco side of things too much. This is not a performance car, but a hybrid. The same goes for the door sills. There’s nothing that can be done about that on this model. Maybe the next i8 will get a different layout if there’s going to be one. The interior will get a small update too but not as big as you may think. There will be an infusion of new tech and some parts of the exterior will indeed get restyled. As for the customization, more options will be available but no performance – enhancing bits.
Wish I could afford an i8, the doors would be my Pilates.