The i series vehicles has been BMW’s electrified brand on the road since 2014. The i3 is the pure-electric urban bubble vehicle while the supercar-styled i8 is the hybrid of the pair.
But beyond sharing similar design cues and a TRON-inspired paint job, the two vehicles couldn’t be further from each other. At the 2017 LA Auto Show, the automaker placed even more space between the cars with the new 2019 convertible and coupe i8s.
Under the hood of the 2019 all-wheel drive i8s are two electric motors and a three-cylinder turbocharged engine. BMW was able to optimize its eDrive tech to get more power and range out of the car. The 2019 models have an additional 18 miles of pure EV range out of the car thanks to the new 11.6kWh battery pack.
Up from the 12 miles available from the old 7.1kWh battery. The automobiles also get an additional 12 horsepower out of the system bringing it up the total to 369 horsepower.
Both cars also get 70 miles per-gallon equivalent.
Other than two new colors (E-Copper and Donnington Grey) and a badge behind the doors, the Coupe looks pretty much the same as the coupe version. It looks cooler, because convertibles always look cooler, and the electric convertible soft top opens in under 16 seconds at speeds up to 31 miles per-hour according to BMW.
The i8’s street price is expected to be north of $150,000. Final pricing will be announced later.
The cars along with the i3s are part of the automakers commitment to have 12 electric cars by 2025.
That’s part an aggressive short-term goal to introduce 40 cars in the next two years. The highest number of vehicles introduced in a two year period by the automaker in its over 100 year history.