2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: BMW i8 Roadster revealed. The i8 roadster is the drop-top version of the i8 hybrid sports car from BMW.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: BMW i8 Roadster revealed. The i8 roadster is the drop-top version of the i8 hybrid sports car from BMW and will go on sale in January 2018.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The i8 roadster was first revealed in concept guise five years ago at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. A more production-ready version of the concept was shown at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

Powering the production-spec roadster is a revised version of the i8 coupe's petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, which combines a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor.

The i8 Roadster produces 369bhp and 570Nm of torque. The 12bhp increase in power comes from an upgraded battery pack which now produces 11.6kWh an increase of 4.6kWh.

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2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The new i8 Roadster sprints from 0-100kph in just 4.6 seconds and continues accelerating till it tops out at 250kph. BMW also revealed the new i8 coupe which is 0.2 seconds faster than the roadster in the 0-100kph sprint.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

With its upgraded battery pack, the i8 Roadster has a zero-emissions range of 53 kilometres and can travel at speeds up to 121kph. BMW also claims that the i8 Roadster delivers a mileage figure of 47.61kpl.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

Regarding design, the new i8's Spyder enhances the looks of the coupe thanks to its new fabric soft-top roof which has resulted in a few design tweaks.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The i8 roadster sits on 20-inch alloy wheels and features new non-dazzling laser LED headlamps that have a range of 600 metres.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The addition of the soft-top roof has resulted in a weight increase of 60 kilos over the coupe.

The roof can be opened and closed at speeds up to 50kph in 15 seconds, and its aluminium framework has been produced using 3D printing.

Also, the dihedral doors now hinge on the body of the roadster instead of the roof.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The flying buttresses are more prominent than ever before and feature roadster badges. The fastback style boot of the i8 coupe has been replaced by a large engine cover, which enhances the design of the roadster.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

The interior of the i8 roadster ditches the coupe's 2+2 seating arrangement for a more regular two-seater setup. 92-litres of storage space have replaced the rear seats.

The i8 Roadster also features a touchscreen infotainment system along with a heads-up display.

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

Another new feature is the acoustic pedestrian warning system that alerts pedestrians when the i8 roadster is being driven in EV mode at speeds up to 30.5kph (19mph).

2017 Los Angeles Auto Show: Drop-Top BMW i8 Roadster Revealed

DriveSpark Thinks!

The BMW i8 coupe is a brilliant looking sports car, but the Roadster takes that design language to a whole new level. Add in the upgraded performance, and it comes as no surprise, why there was so much hype about the BMW i8 Roadster.

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Read more on: #bmw #2017 la auto show
Article Published On: Thursday, November 30, 2017, 2:31 [IST]
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