BMW i8 Spyder Delayed by Engineering Setbacks

The hybrid BMW i8 coupe is well on its way to production, but the convertible version may take a bit longer to arrive than initially thought. Autocar reports that the i8 Spyder is being held up by engineering dilemmas, and that there's currently no timeline for a market launch.

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The BMW i8 Spyder concept debuted at last year's Beijing auto show, sporting the coupe's plug-in hybrid drivetrain and a chopped roof. Now, BMW officials have told Autocar that the topless model is presenting "major challenges" in the engineering department. The biggest setback revolves around adding rigidity to the i8's carbon fiber-reinforced plastic body shell after cutting the roof off. As a result, a BMW spokesman says there is "no set time frame" for the launch of the i8 Spyder. At the i8 Spyder's debut, BMW said the production version would arrive by 2015. Given the production challenges, though, we can likely expect the actual launch to be later than that. In the meantime, green sports car buyers that don't need a drop-top can choose the 2014 BMW i8 coupe, which produces a combined 362 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged 1.5-liter I-3 and front axle-mounted electric motor, and goes on sale next spring starting at $136,625.

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Source: Autocar

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