BMW i8 Spyder nearing production, concept bound for CES – report

Revealed even before its coupe sibling had entered production, the i8 Spyder had nonetheless never been given a green light, with concerns over the application of its carbon fibre-reinforced plastic body in a convertible form understood to be the project’s main hurdle.

Now, according to a new report with the UK’s Autocar, BMW’s engineers have finally crafted a solution that will bring the i8 Spyder to production in the near future.

The report adds that a second concept version will appear first, however, with January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas believed to be the venue. A market-ready version could follow in the months after.

Power would likely be provided by the same 266kW/570Nm combination of a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor which gives the current coupe a 0-100km/h time of just 4.4 seconds.