BMW i8 Spyder Concept makes its online debut, will drop-top in New York next week

March 31, 2012April 1, 2012 Omar Rana 2012 New York Auto Show, BMW i, BMW i8, BMW i8 Concept, BMW i8 Spyder Concept, electric-cars, electric-vehicles, i8, i8 Spyder, Sports Cars, Supercars

THe BMW i brand will debut its third-concept – following the i8 and the i3 – at the 2012 New York Auto Show next week. Known as the BMW i8 Concept Spyder, the concept is just a drop top version of the i8, loses the two rear seats and offers some sexy convertible looks.

“Among the most eye-catching features of the BMW i8 Concept Spyder are the upward-swivelling, windowless doors and a range of purpose-oriented on-board equipment including electric kickboards stowed under a transparent tailgate,” BMW said in a statement. “The sports car is based around the innovative LifeDrive architecture, itself underpinned by a lightweight modular construction and the use of high-quality high-tech materials.”

Check out more news on the BMW i8.

Power for the BMW i8 Spyder Concept comes from the same setup as the coupe. A 131-hp electric-motor drives the front axle while a 1.5 liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine making 220-hp and 221 lb-ft of torque moves the rear axle. Together, the system produced 349-hp and 405 lb-ft of torque.

Mated to a twin-speed transmission, the BMW i8 Spyder Concept runs from 0 to 62 mph in less than 5 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph. On a full charge of its lithium-ion battery, the BMW i8 provides all-electric driving range of approximately 20 miles with a total range of around 400 miles. BMW says that the two-seater burns just three litres of petrol per 100 kilometers, which comes out to around 78 miles per gallon.

So will it enter production? Most likely. One thing you can tell when you compare the i8 coupe to the i8 spider, is that the latter seems to be closer to a production version.

We’ll bring you live images next week from the 2012 New York Auto Show.

Specifications: BMW i8 Concept Spyder: