The Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol will air on December 16, 2011, but while many people think Tom Cruise will be the star of the show, we would beg to differ. If we do find ourselves checking out the fourth movie in the Mission Impossible franchise, we’ll be doing so just to get a glimpse of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car that will inspire the production BMW i8 version.
"We are thrilled to be involved again in another Hollywood Blockbuster," said Ian Robertson, BMW AG Board Member for Sales and Marketing. "The BMW Group leads the way in developing future mobility with a focus on sustainability. One great example is the BMW Vision EfficientDynamicsf='http://www.topspeed.com/cars/vision/index757.html' title='Vision'>Vision EfficientDynamics concept car which will be presented in the film. With its futuristic design and large glass surfaces, the car offers a fascinating perspective on the future of sheer driving pleasure – in combination with maximum efficiency. Also with BMW ConnectedDrive technology, it is the perfect car for Ethan Hunt to outsmart his pursuers through narrow streets and busy city traffic."
Hit the jump to watch the Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol trailer, but more importantly, pay close attention to the one minute mark to catch a glimpse of the BMW i8.
Gas prices have been soaring nationwide for sometime now. As of March 2011, the national gas price average is $3.56 and rising. For many enthusiasts that may sound like the death knell for the cars they know and love. We can hear it now, “No more supercharged V8s, no more twin turbocharged V6s. Goodbye Mustangs, goodbye Corvettes.” It really sounds like a bleak outlook for enthusiasts who live, breathe, and eat these cars (not literally, of course).
Luckily, that doesn’t have to be our future. As many of you are already aware, many companies are making great strides to preserve performance cars for all of us. They’re using new technologies to not only make sports and super cars faster, but they’re using those same technologies to make them more fuel efficient, giving us hope that there will be no end to the fast cars that we love.
That’s where we come in. We have come up with our list of the Top 10 Hybrid Sports and Super Cars that all utilize new technologies to make them faster, more fun, and more fuel-efficient. All of these cars are either on sale now, will be in the future, or will have their technologies transferred into production cars within the next few years.
Hit the jump to check out are list of top ten hybrid sports and super cars.
BMW’s supercar, the M1, was sold between 1978 to 1981 as the only mid-engined BMW to be mass produced. But you’d expect more from a maker like BMW, right? And with all the competition on the market, BMW had to do something about it, so they decided to put the Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show into production.
It’s not the first time we hear about the possibility of the Vision Efficient Dynamics going into production, but today we have more details about the production version: the i8. And while the concept is powered by a three cylinder turbo diesel power plant combined with two electric motors, the i8 will be offered in both electric and hybrid versions.
Rumors suggest that the Project i Coupe won’t be flying solo as BMW may be panning on an M version for this future model and it will most likely be called the M1.
UPDATE 03/14/11: The BMW i8 hybrid sports coupe was recently spotted by Bimmerpost undergoing cold-weather testing somewhere in Northern Europe. Word has it that the i8 hybrid sports coupe will now come with a gas engine as opposed to the previously held position of diesel engine variants. According to BMW’s research and development chief, Klaus Draeger, the company has big plans for the i8 sports hybrid coupe, one that involves being sold not just in Europe, but all over the world. Sounds good to hear, if you ask us. While we wait for the production version to arrive sometime in 2013, we can pass time by checking out these three testing videos after the jump.
UPDATE 05/27/11: BMW has unveiled a new video of the i8 set to be revealed in 2013. The video was filmed in Abu Dhabi and illustrates yet again what a cool car the i8 will be. Hit the jump for the video.
For all the things BMW has done to showcase their Vision Efficient Dynamics vehicle, there are still a lot of questions surrounding it, especially when it comes to details on the production version.
For one, we still don’t have an official name for it. Rumors have floated around saying that it’s going to be called the “Project i Coupe,” but no official announcement has been made. By the same token, despite the plethora of teaser photos, videos, and renderings done on the car, we’ve barely scratched the surface on knowing exactly what the car is going to look like. So while we’re excited about the production version of the VED, we’d appreciate it if BMW answered at least some of our questions.
Thankfully, BMW has finally relented, and though it still didn’t budge on giving the official look and the name of the car, it did give us an idea of how much it’s going to cost.
In an interview with Inside Line, BMW’s sales chief Ian Robertson estimated that the forthcoming BMW supercar will be priced at "less than £150,000 ($240,000)," which should come at somewhere around $200,000. That’s definitely good news for those who prefer this car over its direct competitor, the Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell, which is rumored to come with a $250,000 price tag when it goes on sale in 2012.
BMW has just launched the "unscripted", a series about people, talking about their life, passion and joy with the brand BMW. And the first man talking about his passion is Juergen Greil, one of the engineers behind the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept.
The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is a 2+2-seater plug-in hybrid model powered by a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine combined with two electric motors. All three of them are delivering 356 hp and a peak torque of 590 lb-ft. Fuel consumption is reduced to 75.1 mpg imp, while CO2 emissions is just 99 grams/km. The new hybrid concept can hit a top speed of 155 mph, while the 0 to 60 mph sprint is made in 4,8 seconds. We have to remind you that a production version is set to be unveiled in early 2012.
