SPY PICS: BMW i8 breaks the ice
Latest spy pix trace BMW's progress on super-fast, Australia-bound i8 hybridBMW's radical i8 hybrid supercar might look a little less radical in the flesh than the car that starred at last year's Frankfurt motor show. It still looks very sporty, but if these Carparazzi spy pics shot recently in northern Sweden are any indication it's not quite as hardcore as we're led to believe.
Flaunting the typically BMW test mule hypnotic graphics, the i8 pictured here does not appear to break any moulds in terms of styling themes or proportions, although it does retain the overall profile of the Frankfurt car which showed the brand's new post-bangle design language.
Remove the boldly daubed paintwork on the show car's flanks and the basic shape becomes apparent. The latest spy pics look far less gob-smacking than a the BMW i8 test mule captured in March 2011, purely by dint of the applied graphics.
As flagship of the Bavarian company's new eco friendly sub-brand, the i8 will come with high expectations. The company claims sub 5.0 second 0-100km/h acceleration coupled with "the fuel consumption and emissions of a light car."
The former, but not necessarily the latter, could be affected by the rumoured switch from the diesel engine fitted to the show car to a turbo petrol engine.
Destined for Australia in limited numbers, the BMW i8 will come with a price tag expected to easily top $200,000.
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