[Tom@Bimmerpost]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Making its world premiere at the 2018 Detroit NAIAS is the updated BMW i8 Coupe in new Donington Grey color! Also on display is the beautiful i8 Roadster.

On the updated i8, the three-cylinder petrol engine and electric drive system team up to generate system output of 275 kW/374 hp. The BMW eDrive technology on hand also includes a high-voltage lithium-ion battery with cell capacity of 34 Ah and gross energy capacity of 11.6 kWh. The battery delivers the energy for the 105 kW/143 hp electric motor to power the car from rest all the way to a maximum 105 km/h (65 mph) on a wave of innovative sports car feeling. Pushing the eDrive button raises the top speed on electric power alone to 120 km/h (75 mph).

The BMW i8 Roadster First Edition is limited to a production run of 200 units. The special-edition models will be among the first examples of the open-top plug-in hybrid sports car built and delivered to customers around the world. All of the body paint finishes and interior designs offered for the new BMW i8 Coupe and new BMW i8 Roadster are also available for the special edition. These include the newly introduced exterior colours E-Copper metallic and Donington Grey metallic. The Carpo interior design package (included as standard) comprises full leather trim, which is available for the new BMW i8 Roadster exclusively in the colour combination Ivory White/Black.

The new BMW i8 Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds, while the new BMW i8 Roadster completes the same sprint in 4.6 seconds. Both models have an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (156 mph). Combined petrol consumption is 1.9 litres per 100 kilometres (148.7 mpg imp) 1 for the Coupe and 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres (134.5 mpg imp) 1 for the Roadster, and combined electric power consumption is 14.0 kWh / 14.5 kWh per 100 kilometres1. CO2 emissions from the petrol engine are 42 grams per kilometre1 for the new BMW i8 Coupe and 46 grams per kilometre1 for the new BMW i8 Roadster. The electric driving range of the BMW i8 Coupe in the NEDC test cycle is 55 kilometres (34 miles)1 and the BMW i8 Roadster claims 53 kilometres (33 miles).

New E-Copper metallic and Donington Grey metallic exterior colour shades are available for the BMW i8 Coupe and BMW i8 Roadster, as is the new optional Accaro interior trim in Amido/E-Copper. The Navigation system Professional, BMW Display Key, Driving Assistant incl. Surround View, and a mode 2 charging cable are all part of standard specification. ConnectedDrive Services also come as standard and include new digital services such as intelligent route planning (complete with refuelling stops at a charging station or filling station), sharing of the current trip status and highly personalised in-car displays.

BMW i8 Coupe

BMW i8 Roadster

[Pretender]

Battery on i8 is a sht. Drop that battery and I'm all in.

[Ibiza]

Dud, yesterdays news. i8 is dated, especially those colors.

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by Ibiza

Dud, yesterdays news. i8 is dated, especially those colors.

So we should get an X5 and M4 like you?

[Bigmouth Studio]

The interior of i8 looks outdated. I don't know why BMW did not upgrade the interior with the launch of i8 roadster!

[Barbera335]

Those warning labels inside the Laser headlamps ruin them. And because the label is behind the lens there is no easy way to get rid of it short of baking the housing and trying to remove the lens. That is too bad.

[Anthony3DHeli]

change the engine to a V8 (S63T4 it's good for it) and I want one!

[BwoodBMW]

Tech and interior now long in the tooth.... pity because it's a cool car. Just not competitive at this pricepoint anymore.

[Madvillain]

i still cant unsee the 991 911 coming out the back end lol. would be unteresting if they made an m version with either the s55 or s63tu.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by Barbera335

Those warning labels inside the Laser headlamps ruin them. And because the label is behind the lens there is no easy way to get rid of it short of baking the housing and trying to remove the lens. That is too bad.

Damn, I thought those were just on for the autoshow / display. Didn't realize production customer cars also had them.

[Big Fred]

I hear that the Spyder is shipping in the Spring but have not heard of any firm date or of any cars delivered. Anyone hear anything yet? Would love to see the Spyder in white with the new interiors. Orange would be cool.

[Teufel_Hunden]

Looks great, but probably sounds like a humidifier.

[meko]

Tesla is crushing it with its electric motors and batteries. BMW I love you. You must give more. You have the ability, but you play games. Keep hybrid, but make it a rocket ship at its price point. Won't cost much more to put a better motor and battery in (within weight targets). Come on we got this!!

All this from an S65 fanatic.

[DCG]

The Coupe looks super cool.

Absolutely NOT a fan of the orange/gold metallic copper paint job! BMW stop letting women choose the paint colors! It looks like tacky trendy women's nail polish.

[MTK24]

The car has a beautiful design but that sticker inside the headlight is so off and looks terrible. No different than a hot girl that gets a stupid sentimental tattoo

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by meko

Tesla is crushing it with its electric motors and batteries. BMW I love you. You must give more. You have the ability, but you play games. Keep hybrid, but make it a rocket ship at its price point. Won't cost much more to put a better motor and battery in (within weight targets). Come on we got this!!

All this from an S65 fanatic.

Are you referring to the 7000 laptop size batteries in every Tesla Model S? (Slightly larger than AA batteries.)

By 2020 all of the major car companies will have passed Tesla in technology and the capability to build a large volume of affordable cars while Tesla will still be having problems manufacturing its Model X with less than 90% assembly line QC problems.

By 2021 Tesla will be a takeover target. It will be gone by 2024.

[Kiwi]

Beautiful cars and blows Tesla away. It's not just 0 to 60 times its design and function which BMW has spades off.

[cc3]

Poor power upgrade compared with Tesla old technology

[Levente_CSL]

Originally Posted by MalibuBimmer

Are you referring to the 7000 laptop size batteries in every Tesla Model S? (Slightly larger than AA batteries.)

By 2020 all of the major car companies will have passed Tesla in technology and the capability to build a large volume of affordable cars while Tesla will still be having problems manufacturing its Model X with less than 90% assembly line QC problems.

By 2021 Tesla will be a takeover target. It will be gone by 2024.

if you say so, since your name is Malibu Bimmer, you must know everything how the world will change in the next coming years. please tell me more. What will happen in 2026?

[Brasko]

They should distinguish them differently. Calling it a "Roadster" is misleading. The "Coupe" designation is terrible too. Who wants to pay all that $$$ to have "Coupe" tagged on the B-pillar. What's next? The M3/M5 will have "Sedan" badging to separate it further from the M4 "Coupe".

At least Coupe & Targa would have made more sense.

Or offer a single model with an optional removable glass top like on the Corvettes.

[MalibuBimmer]

Originally Posted by Levente_CSL

if you say so, since your name is Malibu Bimmer, you must know everything how the world will change in the next coming years. please tell me more. What will happen in 2026?

You said Tesla is "crushing it" with its "electric motors and batteries." I don't think that statement is defensible, from any perspective, either technologically or industrially. Technologically Tesla's batteries are 20 years old. Their electric motors use technology almost 100 years old. Tesla's production caspabilities lead to 90% quality control problems that require additional significant work on most of the cars after they leave the assembly line.

Like Henrik Fisker, Elon Musk talks a big game when it comes to his cars, but unlike his rockets the cold hard truth is he has not advanced the technology. So talking about "crushing it" may be a colorful phrase, but it has no basis in fact.

And, what of the 7,000 laptop size batteries per car. Can you answer that question?

[sakson]

what's different? looks exactly the same