The just unveiled BMW i8 Concept Spyder naturally calls for a comparison to its open-air sibling. It’s an interesting comparison for several reasons. Seeing both concepts shows the differences between both cars/concepts but also shows some progress BMW has made in the development of the Concept i8. At first sight, the i8 Spyder looks even more focused and ‘mean’ than the i8 Coupe. Part of the reason for this is that the i8 Spyder is 15 cm or 6 inches shorter than the i8 Coupe (see full specs below). Being an open top car however results in a weight disadvantage of 150 kg or 330 lbs.

Both the i8 Coupe and the i8 Spyder have gullwing/butterfly doors, and both will retain this for series production (as seen … CONTINUED

Introducing the BMW i8 Spyder hybrid sports car concept! The BMW i8 Concept Spyder with eDrive is an open-top two-seater embodying a form of personal mobility with equal sporting and emotional appeal.

Under the banner of its sub-brand BMW i, the BMW Group is developing a range of purpose-built vehicle concepts and complementary mobility services which meet the changing needs of customers and redefine the understanding of personal mobility. As well as adopting intelligent technologies and innovative design, BMW i is pursuing an all-embracing approach defined to a significant degree by sustainability throughout the value chain.

Following the presentation of the BMW i3 Concept and BMW i8 Concept, the BMW Group introduces the BMW i8 Concept Spyder to the mix. This third BMW i model embodies the … CONTINUED

The BMW i8 Spyder Concept has been leaked ahead of the official release which will come very soon and ahead of its premiere at Auto China 2012 in Beijing next month.

Check back soon for more photos and details on the i8 Spyder Concept!

BMW’s highly anticipated i8 plugin electric hybrid sports car is not due until 2014 but CAR claims to already have the skinny on the production i8’s specs and performance data, as follows.

Powertrain / Drivetrain

The gullwinged production i8 is reported to weigh 1,450kg (3,196 pounds). Its 170hp electric motor drives the front wheels while a 223hp / 295lb-ft turbo 1.5L 3-cylinder engine powers the rear wheels. Combined hp and torque figures are 393hp / 406lb-ft torque, more horsepower than the concept’s 349 hp and the same torque figure.

Performance is said to be 4.9sec 0-62mph and a 156mph top speed.

With the ability to be front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or all-wheel drive, as well as having torque vectoring, the i8’s transmission will be one impressive piece of … CONTINUED

Here is the best look yet at the gullwing / butterfly doors which will be featured on the production BMW i8 when it hits the market in 2014. The doors appear to open in the same fashion as did the BMW i8 concept.

Judging by photos, it’s apparent that the doors will not be constructed from glass, as in the concept i8. According to Scott26, the door skins are made of CFRP, but BMW is working on applying type of film over the CFRP which can be unpainted - giving the door a smooth glass-like finish and bringing the look of the i8 concept’s glass doors without actually using glass (which are impractical for many obvious reasons).

Here is the very first spy video of the 2014 BMW i8 production prototype, giving us the first live motion look and listen at the upcoming i8 hybrid sports car. Also confirmed in the video is the retaining of the gullwing doors as seen on the concept i8 car.

Check out the video and all details on the BMW i8 inside.

Although this pre-production i8 tracks the concept version’s styling generally, as expected, there are some significant changes from the i8 concept model [official info/pics]. The front fascia has lost a bit of its shark nose front slant with a new lower front bumper design, which protrudes more than that on the concept. Also, the headlights have been moved forward to the edge of the hood. This comes as no surprise considering the fact that the extremely deeply set headlights on the concept i8 would likely limit the area which the headlights can illuminate. The headlights will join the kidney grilles at the sides, just as seen on the F30 3 series.

The hood and windshield are now more traditional and the windshield no longer joins the hood … CONTINUED

What we know about BMW’s aggressive push into the electric car market (via their dedicated BMW i brand) is that it is essentially a two pronged approach. Cover the exotic sports car market with the BMW i8, to effectively show that an electric car can be a desirable super-car and at the same time produce a compact and efficient city car with the BMW i3.

While both of these cars will do alot to put electric cars into the mindset of car buyers and enthusiasts, the real car market is the mainstream people mover: the family sedan. Autobild.de is reporting that somewhere around year 2015, BMW plans to introduce the BMW i5, a fully electric mid-size people mover that will take a more cross-over shape of the … CONTINUED

The Ultimate Driving Machine is a traditional BMW slogan and identity which BMW enthusiasts rally around, dating all the way back to 1975. In recent years however, this popular tag line took a back seat as BMW moved in different directions to the likes of the “JOY” campaign.

Fret not however, as BMWNA, which took on a new lead ad agency in the US (Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners) in April, is set to revive the Ultimate Driving Machine marketing identity this Saturday (Jan. 7), as the company will air a new 30-second television spot on national TV in the US. The commercial will premiere on NBC during the NFL wild-card games.

The commercial [see here at NY Times] starts off with an E92 M3 GTS sliding around … CONTINUED