BMW News: BMW i8 Spyder Runs Into Some Problems

[William Maley]

While the BMW i8 Coupe is heading into production, the convertible version has hit a snag or two. Autocar has learned from a BMW spokesperson that the i8 Spyder has presented "major challenges" in the engineering department. The problem is due to the carbon fiber-reinforced plastic construction that provides the rigidity and lightness for i8. If you take off the roof like on the i8 Spyder, it becomes very difficult to add rigidity to the shell.

"The last architecture presented some fairly major challenges, to be able to produce a convertible in that format. The rigidity was hard to find with that particular architecture," said a BMW spokesman.

The spokesman went onto say that there isn't a set time frame for the i8 Spyder. Earlier reports put the production date around late 2015.

Source: Autocar

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[David]

Seems common sense to produce the hardtop version to get sales going and work on the convertible version over time, a year or two probably behind the hard top version.

[Drew Dowdell]

T-tops would still be neat

[David]

Funny to hear this review of the I8 and it's technology to say "Just like the CHEVY VOLT!"

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8x-9JVhE3wY