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We now have spied-prototype confirmation that a BMW i4 Cabriolet is indeed in the works. Looks like it’ll adopt the Neue Klasse design and use a traditional cloth roof instead of a folding hardtop. Insiders are telling us this car should come out for the 2028 model year.
Convertible EVs are (nearly) non-existent—the Maserati Gran Cabrio Folgore is kind of the only real one at this point. The ill-fated Polestar had dreamed up a very cool electric open-top car called the Polestar 6. I remember seeing a concept of that at The Quail a few years back and absolutely loving it, but I can’t say I was surprised when it was delayed. Now that Polestar’s done for in America, I think it’s unlikely that car will ever make it to series production.
But BMW has a better handle on the car business and a long history of selling drop-tops. It’ll be interesting to see what compromises in terms of weight and range this i4 cabrio has to make to be viable. Perhaps the inherent skateboard-like structure of electric platforms will actually make this objectively better than some existing convertible cars.
The current i4 comes in four main flavors, all with a “gran coupe” (sleek four-door) body: i4 eDrive40 (the 335 horsepower base model), i4 xDrive40 (all-wheel drive and more power), and i4 M60 (the fast one until a true i4 M comes out).
Range on those cars is between about 230 and 330 miles depending on specs.
I think it’s highly probable that BMW will also release an i4 hardtop coupe around the same time as this, but the US release for both might lag behind Europe. A local BMW contact told me US dealers are struggling to get their hands on iX3 allocations because those models are in such high demand in the motherland.
Convertibles don’t make much sense objectively, but they sure are delightful to ride in. If you disagree—you just haven’t experienced one in the right weather. At any rate, I’m thrilled to see that automakers aren’t giving up on whimsy entirely.
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Automotive journalist since 2013, Andrew primarily coordinates features, sponsored content, and multi-departmental initiatives at The Drive.
