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BMW i8 Spyder production could still be years away

BMW will still build a convertible version of the i8, but production of the droptop hybrid sports car won't happen for at least a couple more years. That's according to an anonymous BMW insider speaking to Motoring. "There will be no new i models in 2016. Not even the convertible," the insider told the Australian publication. While the i8 Spyder might not arrive for a while, the company still sees a place for it in the model range. "The i8 is selling well enough now, so the lineup doesn't strictly need it," another unnamed BMW insider told Motoring. "We are doing it, we are just doing it slowly because it's not all we are doing." The automaker sold 2,265 examples of the i8 in the US in 2015, which was up from 555 in 2014. BMW first imagined the convertible i8 with the Spyder concept way back in 2012, and a report in 2013 hinted that it was near production, which never happened. The company then sliced off the sports car's doors and roof for the orange I Vision Future (pictured above) at the recent 2016 Consumer Electronics Show. The concept's open design gave BMW an easy place to show off the AirTouch gesture control system at the tech event. These insider claims are a complete reversal from BMW CEO Harald Kruger's assertion in December that the company would soon unveil the production i8 Spyder. The boss didn't indicate the debut's exact timing, but it seemed a lot sooner than at least a year from now. We'll have to wait and see. Related Video:

Electric living with a BMW i3

Rarely in the 27-plus years I've been testing and writing about cars has any vehicle changed this much from my initial impression until I was later able to spend more time in one. Nearly two years ago, I got a brief test drive of the then-new BMW i3 EV on a selection of both flat and hilly, curvy roads west of Los Angeles the day before LA Auto Show press days. My impressions at the time were mixed: polarizing exterior and interior designs but roomy, easily accessible rear cabin; great twisty road handling but somewhat brittle rough-road ride; good performance but annoyingly strong (always on) regenerative braking. And there was no opportunity to test one with the optional range-extender (which BMW calls a "REx") engine. So I wanted an extended experience in a REx-equipped i3, and recently got one. And, I'm here to report that, driving it for a week like I owned it, the quirky i3 soon won me over. The quirky i3 soon won me over. The $42,400 BMW EV's unique, lightweight "LifeDrive" architecture features a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) passenger cell on an all-aluminum chassis. Powered by a 22-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, its 170-hp AC synchronous motor spins out a healthy 184-pound-feet of torque through a single-speed transmission and offers three drive modes: Comfort, Eco Pro (which BMW says adds roughly 12 percent of range) and Eco Pro+ (another 12 percent). The optional rear-mounted 647 cc (0.65-liter) in-line 2-cylinder REx engine drives an electric generator, never the wheels. It increases the sticker price to $46,250 and curb weight from 2,860 pounds to 3,130 lb., and that 270-lb. weight penalty reduces its electric-only range from 81 to 72 miles and EPA-rated combined (gas-equivalent) fuel economy from 124 to 117 MPGe, and slows its 0-60-mph acceleration from 7.0 to 7.8 sec. But it nearly doubles the i3's official EPA-rated total range from an EV-only 81 miles to an EV-plus-gasoline 150 miles. The i3 arrived (from roughly 90 miles away) with its battery depleted but an indicated 75 miles of gas-powered range remaining. Wanting to experience it REx-only at first, I drove it on a 9.6-mile local trip and found little difference in sound or performance from what I recalled from that California battery-only test drive. When I returned home, however, the indicated gas range was just 55 miles, so I had used 20 miles of projected range in less than 10 local miles. My initial impressions were good, with a few quibbles.

Audi tops BMW and Mercedes in luxury sales

April was a good month for Audi, as the four-ring automaker beat out both Mercedes-Benz and BMW in sales. Bloomberg reports that it was America's appetite for CUVs like the Q5 and ancient Q7 that helped Audi move nearly 153,000 units around the globe. It's not all good news, though. Audi's worldwide sales only jumped by 2.5 percent, compared to BMW and Mercedes, whose sales increased 5.6 and 11 percent, respectively. On top of that, BMW is still the best-selling brand (of the three, anyway) so far in 2015, outselling Audi by roughly 9,000 units and Mercedes by about 23,000 vehicles. Considering the faster growth of its rivals, it's unclear if Audi will be able to hang onto the monthly sales crown beyond April, or if BMW will continue its reign as the world's biggest luxury automaker.