BMW i8 Roadster Teased, Will Be Less Efficient Than The Coupe

The BMW i8 Roadster is expected to be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month and the company has just released a new teaser video of the upcoming model.

While the clip doesn't show us the completed vehicle, it reveals the roadster will have a power retractable fabric roof and a small rear window.

The rest of the video doesn't show much but it includes some preliminary fuel economy data and which discloses that the roadster will have a combined fuel economy rating (with the assistance of the electric motor) of 2.1 L/100km (112 mpg US / 134 mpg UK) and combined CO2 emissions of 48 g/km. These are slightly worse numbers than the current i8 Coupe which returns 2.0 L/100km (117 mpg US / 141 mpg UK) and has CO2 emissions of 44 g/km.

BMW hasn't said much about the i8 Roadster but rumors have suggested the model could come with a larger lithium-ion battery that has a capacity of approximately 14 kWh. This would increase the model's EPA-estimated electric-only range beyond the 15 miles (24 km) that the coupe is currently rated for.

Besides the beefier battery, reports have suggested the car's powertrain could be upgraded to produce up to 420 hp (313 kW). Nothing is official as of yet but we'll likely find out soon enough.