BMW i8 Roadster teasing begins

The teasing has begun for the BMW's i8 Roadster ahead of its official launch in 2018.

Greenlit for production late in 2015, a concept for the i8 convertible was originally first shown back in 2012 at the Beijing motor show.

It's thought the reason for the four-year delay (from when the coupe went on sale) is BMW execs concerns over the Roadster stealing sales from the coupe.

Already caught testing by our spy photographers, the new official tease proves the i8 will keep its trademark scissor doors.

Differing from the coupe is a pair of flying buttress-style pods behind the driver and passenger seat.

The short film shows the small folding fabric roof the i8 Roadster will come with.

From the video filmed in a wind tunnel, engineers have worked hard to ensure that there are no aerodynamic consequences from removing the roof.

Based around a highly rigid carbon-fibre monocoque, it's unlikely the Roadster will need any extra bracing compared to the coupe and it's thought the Roadster will weigh in at around the same 1485kg.

With the i8 Roadster's introduction it's rumoured BMW will usher in a whole host of tech upgrades.

Currently, the i8 produces a total of 266kW from the combination of a three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine that drives the rear wheels and a 96kW electric motor that powers the front axle.

The safe money is on both the i8 coupe and Roadster keeping its 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol but boosting power from the current's engine's 170kW.

If you factor in a more powerful electric motor that's combined with a higher energy density lithium ion battery than the current i8's 7.8kWh then the refreshed i8 will be expected to slash the 4.4 seconds the coupe takes to hit 100km/h.

The face-lifted plug-in hybrid is also expected to be more efficient — despite the fact the i8 already averages fuel consumption of just 2.1L/100km on the NEDC cycle.

As well as the expected updated powertrain, the i8 will also come with a watered-down version of some of the next-gen interior tech it revealed last year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

They included ultra-high resolution displays, gesture technology, next-gen voice control and 'virtual touch' sensitive surfaces.

The latter involves sensors across the dash that monitor and track a driver or passenger's hands and anticipate what they intended to select on a large screen without any physical touch.

It's thought the i8 Roadster will be officially revealed in full this September at the Frankfurt motor show.

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