At least year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, BMW told TG that it needed to build the i8 Spyder concept “as soon as possible”. As soon as possible, it turns out, is 2018.

Yup, these are the first pics to fully, fully confirm that the i8 Roadster is coming, and not a moment too soon. The original i8 Coupe was teased first as a concept way back in 2009. The production version was revealed in 2013, and we drove it in 2014. Time for BMW to get a move on.

Though at one point, that i8 Coupe had a 12-month waiting list, so the case for a Roadster was always there. “In 2018 the BMW i8 Roadster will unlock the door to a whole new dimension in pioneering open-top driving pleasure – virtually silent and with zero local emissions,” we’re told.

It’ll be built in Leipzig, and that is about all we can tell you. Using the template of the Coupe, it’ll likely come with the same 1.5-litre, three-pot turbo plus electric motor setup, only this time you get a lot more sky. The i8’s carbonfibre tub should help keep it as pointy as you’d expect from this third ‘i’ BMW.

The small print in today’s news reads that the estimated CO2 output of the new i8 Roadster measures at 48g/km of CO2 - that’s just four more CO2s than the Coupe. “All figures are preliminary,” mind.

OK, so you can’t really get a massive sense of what it’ll look like from these production pics, but if it’s anything as gorgeous as the i8 Spyder concept from CES last year (pictured below for reference), we are in for something special.

Watch this space…