2019 BMW i8 Roadster Cuts A Dash At The Detroit Auto Show

The new BMW i8 Roadster has marked its second public appearance at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, after being presented last year in Los Angeles.

The third addition to the Bavarian car marque’s ‘i’ range, after the i3 and i8 Coupe, introduces a folding soft-top, and carries a weight penalty of 132lbs (60kg) over its fixed roof sibling, while also sacrificing the two rear seats.

Its plug-in hybrid powertrain consists of a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder that develops 231hp and an electric motor with 143hp, along with a 11.6kWh battery pack. The combined output of 374hp allows it to sprint from rest to 60mph (96km/h) in 4.4sec, and up to a top speed of 155mph (250km/h), while it has an electric-only range of 33 miles (53km), at speeds of up to 65mph (105km/h).

BMW will open the order books for the new i8 Roadster this spring in the United States, with prices to be announced closer to that date, and which will coincide with the arrival of the updated i8 Coupe in the US market.

The revamped i8 Coupe is also on display at the 2018 NAIAS, where it made its world premiere, alongside the new X2 small crossover.