BMW to make public debut of the i8 and X2 at the Detroit

The 2018 Detroit Motor Show will commence next week on 13 January. BMW will take on the stage with the public showcase of the new and updated i8 Coupe alongside the all-new X2 crossover.

Joining the two debutants will be the newly introduced i8 Roadster First Edition and the Concept X7 iPerformance. The i8 Roadster celebrated its debut at the 2017 Los Angeles Motor Show in December. The i8 Roadster First Edition has a limited production run of just 200 units. The First Edition will reach the customers before the delivery of the standard i8 Roadster. 

The special edition comes with special paint schemes and interior designs. These include the newly introduced exterior colours E-Copper metallic and Donington Grey metallic. On the inside, the Carpo interior design package (included as standard) comprises a full leather trim, which is available for the Roadster exclusively in the colour combination of Ivory white/black. The updated i8 Coupe also debuts the new iDrive functions with added connectivity systems.

The X2 coupe-crossover, on the other hand, is the newest member of the BMW’s X line-up and it will go on sale in March next year. The X2, as the name suggests, slots in between the X1 and X3. It is a sportier and funkier iteration of the X1, in the same way as the X4 is to the X3 and the X6 is to the X5.

Codenamed F39, the all-new X2 is called the ‘Sports Activity Coupe’ by BMW. It is based on the same UKL platform as the X1. It will be offered in three trims – Basic, M Sport and Sport X. There will be three engines to choose from – one petrol and two diesels – with automatic transmissions. Initially available in xDrive20i, xDrive20d and xDrive25d guises, the X2 will get more variants once it hits the streets. Surprisingly, there are no plans for an electric-hybrid X2 yet.

BMW hasn’t revealed the pricing for the X2. The Munich-based carmaker is expected to bring the X2 to the Indian shores as well once it hits the streets in the international markets.