The BMW i8 Spyder Concept picks up where the BMW i8 left off in taking the future of mobility and bringing a step closer to reality. The new SPYDER shows us a glimpse at what the i8 coupe will truly look like in street guise. Gone are the clear polycarbonate “glass” doors, replaced with standard opaque materials (CFRP) to meet crash worthiness no doubt. The interior has been made more realistic with components that are more approachable in terms of cost and functionality.
The i8 will debut in 2014 as BMWi’s second model after the i3 Mega City Vehicle. This new concept is anticipated to fall in line sometime in 2015. The future is approaching and BMWi is leading the charge. Full Release and galleries after the jump.
Following the movie’s world premiere in Dubai on December 7, 2011 the film will have preview runs in IMAX and other large format theaters in the U.S. tonight December 16, 2011, with a general public release on December 21, 2011.
After the jump you will see some prime footage of BMWs racing through a sandstorm passing other German brands. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise uses the available third pedal in his borrowed 650i drop top to chase the bad guy down… over the top in typical MI fashion. BMWs will be showcased throughout this movie and is part of BMW’s larger push to use product placement in movie and TV productions rather than running typical advertising.
BMW themselves have released an interview with Senior Vice President BMW Group Design Adrian Van Hooydonk primarily about the new F20 1 Series. It’s an interview unfortunately with BMW’s terrible 1 Series European marketing wrapped around it but it’s interesting nonetheless.
While we’re warming to the new F20 we’re still not convinced it’s as successful as the new F30 3 Series in overall execution. Perhaps it doesn’t matter all that much since our US readers will never get a chance to see the car on US roads. But what about the coupe and convertible?
How do you show-off a car completely connected with every ounce of technology that BMW can fit into it? With a jewelry heist of course. Have a look after the break.
We were in attendance during today’s unveiling of the BMWi i3 & i8 Concepts and are digesting all of the information we obtained. While we gain some composure and put pen to paper or more so in our case fingers to keys- enjoy the photos from the Frankfurt. (Full gallery after the break)
Over the past week we’ve featured a number of videos on the ConnectedDrive concept that focus on various aspects of the car. We’ve focused on styling, technology and the idea behind the car. Today Dirk Wisselmanm Manager of ConnectedDrive Projects, discusses the various connected mobility concepts within the car. The Vision ConnctedDrive shows what will be possible in the not-too-distant future in the realm of connectivity, both between the driver and the car as well as between the car and its environment. The idea is that these technologies will improve the level of driving enjoyment while delivering even greater levels of safety, particularly active safety.
We could have sworn we’ve had this video on the site already. But with a good dozen videos edited together together to form the piece we released last week, it’s easy to miss it. But for fans of the Vision ConnectedDrive this is the video that explains it all. The ideas behind the concept and what BMW sees as the future of connected drive over the next 5-10 years.
Lets get this out of the way right now. ConnectedDrive concept is gorgeous. It’s got touches of the past with a blanket of futuristic form language that is nothing if not dynamic. But that’s only part of why this car is important and interesting. The conceptual work BMW has done around the idea of ConnectedDrive is the star in our eyes. The best feature? We’d have to say the augmented reality built into the HUD. But beyond that there are a host of new ideas that deserve some exposure. And that’s the idea of this video. It’s yet another look at some of the technology that BMW is working on for the 2015 to 2020 time-frame.
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We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: BMWi, Concept, Design, i8, Official News, Technology, Vision Mar 31st, 2012 7 Comments 
