BMW's CEO Finally Confirms When The i8 Spyder Will Hit The Market

BMW is taking a page straight out of the Alfa Romeo playbook when it comes to the i8 Spyder. This summer we learned that the convertible hybrid sports car wouldn't make it to market until 2017 or 2018. Now comes word from BMW CEO Harald Krueger, via Reuters, that it won't be in the lineup until 2018. The news was dropped at a recent press conference held in Santa Monica, California. While this may be a bit of a blow to those who live and breathe convertible hybrids-we assume such people exist-it's not all that surprising.

First off, the refreshed i8, the car on which the Spyder will be based, is still being worked on. It's slated to debut in 2017…we think. Then there's the rumored i5, aka the company's Tesla fighter. We've been hearing about that thing for a while and wouldn't be shocked if a concept was shown at a major auto show next year. With all those factors in mind it makes complete sense to put the i8 Spyder on the back burner. The folks over at the i brand seem to have their hands full as is. With all that being said we're still a bit bummed that it has taken the Spyder so many years to go from concept to reality. This thing has been kicking around since 2012. Six years is a really, really long time to keep a car in development.

We know it's not as easy as chopping the top off the existing i8 and calling it a day, but really, how the hell hard can it be to pull the trigger on a no-brainer like this? The i8 Spyder wouldn't rake in the dough but it would put more i cars on the road and likely wouldn't cost the brand a ton of cash as it's based on an existing model. Plus, it looks really, really cool. That has to count for something over at BMW HQ, right?