BMW i8 Spyder: Suitable For Open-Tom Cruises

Arriving on the BMW stand at Beijing later this month is the Bavarian firm's latest 'i' car, the i8 Spyder. It's a convertible version of the plug-in hybrid which starred in Mission Impossible 4 and if it means 5 foot 7 inch front man Tom Cruise can feel the wind in his hair then, forgetting our awful pun-induced headline with a subtle reference on sexuality, why wouldn't you buy one?

There are quite a few differences to the coupe, besides being roofless. The two seats in the back have been substituted for large rollover hoops, the scissor doors are metal rather than glass (covering your modesty) and it has a shorter wheel-base and overall length. The roof itself is apparently a targa style carbon fibre panel.

It retains the same power plant as the coupe. A mid-mounted 1.5 three-pot turbo petrol that delivers 220bhp to the rear wheels and an front-mounted electric motor that delivers 129bhp to the front wheels. That means with the pedal to the metal you'll get 349bhp, 405lb ft of torque, a 0-60mph time of around 5 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph.

Economy wise, it claims to return 94mpg and it has a 19 mile range on electricity alone. Charging the battery will apparently take less than two hours using a high-voltage socket.

Whilst we've seen the i8 coupe in the cinema and we'll soon see the Spyder at the Beijing Motor Show, we won't see the coupe in showrooms until 2013 and the Spyder until 2014. Prices are predicted to be around the £90,000 mark. There's no official word on any M versions en route but we sincerely hope there will be. It's what Tom Cruise would want.