Spied: 2014 BMW i3

Take a look at BMW's all-new electric car! This is the i3 – a compact 1-Series-sized MPV that shows the way forward for the German firm's new 'i' sub-brand. And Auto Express has the world-first pictures of the new model.

Caught testing in Scandinavia where BMW was doing some filming for its new "Born Electric" campaign, the zero emission i3 is a remarkable sight. It gets a distinctive body shape with short front and rear overhangs, a raised body and a narrow, low rolling resistance tyres.

Under the skin lies an innovative new rear-wheel drive architecture. An aluminium chassis houses the powertrain, with lightweight but strong carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for the passenger cells. Due on sale in 2013, it has targets of a range of around 100 miles and a 0-62mph time of 10 seconds.

The i3 will be assembled at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany – along with an i8 supercar – where the firm has invested £336million, allowing component crossover for the electric motors and batteries, cutting costs significantly.

As you can see from this prototype, it looks very different to regular BMW models. Behind the disguise lies a blue-rimmed version of the trademark kidney grille, large but narrow wheels for better aerodynamics and a ‘stream-flow’ C-pillar design which supersedes the Hofmeister kink. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express