The i8 Roadster, formerly known as the Spyder, was given the honor by more than two-dozen automotive journalists earlier this month after also winning the North American Concept Car of the Year in 2012. The Best Production Preview Vehicle title is part of an annual series of awards that also include the Best Concept Car, Best Concept Truck/SUV, Best Specialty Concept and Most Significant Concept Vehicle. The awards are handed out each auto show season to concept vehicles that make their North American debut during the current model year’s auto show season.
Part of the German automaker’s nascent “i” brand for plug-in vehicles, the i8 Spyder was first unveiled in March 2012. Based on the i8 Coupe, the extended-range plug-in delivers 354 horsepower and can go about 19 miles on electricity alone before the gas-powered range-extender kicks in. BMW has estimated that the model gets about 78 miles per gallon equivalent. The production version of the other “i” brand vehicle that we know about, the i3, will be revealed later this month. Read BMW’s press release below.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – July 2, 2013… The BMW i8 Roadster won the North American Concept Car of the year Award in 2012 and it has been crowned again this year, now as the Best Production Preview Vehicle. The Production Preview category recognizes those vehicles based on a model that has already been announced or planned for production.
The awards are given to the best Production Preview Vehicle, Concept Car, Concept Truck/SUV, Specialty Concept, and Most Significant Concept Vehicle of each auto show season. To be eligible for the awards, a concept vehicle must make its North American debut during the current model year’s auto show season.
More than two dozen Professional Automotive Journalists from throughout North America serve as volunteer jurors for all categories of the awards. By extending the review to the whole package – design, style, materials, technology, market viability and market responsiveness – and concentrating the focus on the market that the jurors know best, the North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards provide truly valuable feedback to help shape the future of the automotive industry.
Detailed information for the BMW i8 Roadster is available in this link: http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1413&mid=299
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
