Happy New Year to the entire BIMMERPOST community! As we cross over to a new year it’s a fitting time for a recap of the past year. It was an amazing year for BMW, with the company hitting sales records and many new important models making their debuts. 2012 should prove to be as successful, if not more. And we’ll be seeing some new models and facelifts coming. We recap the BMW 2011 year for you inside.

We bring you the first spy photos of the BMW i8 production prototype model. Seen for the first time, this pre-production BMW i8 mule shows what the i8 will look like with production body parts and styling.

Comparison to i8 Concept Model:

Although this pre-production i8 tracks the concept version’s styling generally, as expected, there are some significant changes from the i8 concept model [official info/pics]. The front fascia has lost a bit of its shark nose front slant with a new lower front bumper design, which protrudes more than that on the concept. Also, the headlights have been moved forward to the edge of the hood. This comes as no surprise considering the fact that the extremely deeply set headlights on the concept i8 would likely limit … CONTINUED

Many of you may remember seeing photos of the BMW i8 and i3 spied at an official BMW photo shoot in downtown Chicago back in August, representing the first real life pics of the i8 and i3 in public.

BMW now shares a making-of video from the Chicago photo session. Click through below for some nice looks at the i8 and i3 on the streets.

The BMW i8 Concept Car joined the lead cast of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on the red carpet of the film’s U.S. premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on Monday, December 19, 2011. Several BMW vehicles - including the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, the concept car for the BMW i8 and the BMW 6 Series Convertible - are driven by Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, and prominently featured in several key action sequences throughout the film.

BMW i, the BMW Group’s e-mobility brand, is pioneering new approaches to marketing. BMW i is implementing innovative online activities and incorporating three new digital channels in its online communications concept through foursquare, Mashable.com and iAd. iAd is Apple’s mobile advertising network, reaching millions of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users right in their favourite apps.

BMW i is running an iAd campaign in Europe reaching iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users in Germany, England and France. As launch partner for iAd on iPad in Europe, BMW i will be initiating an innovative campaign, which will exploit the advertising potential of the iPad and open the door to a three-dimensional world of mobility images and experiences. The BMW i3 and BMW i8 concept cars will form the … CONTINUED

Interview with the designer of the BMW i3, Richard Kim.

The i3 began life as the Megacity electric project car, but the concept evolved into a purely electric runabout that would be configurable, when it went on sale in 2013, with a gasoline-burning, 3-cylinder range extender.

Without an engine up front — the range extender is in the rear — the hood area could become smaller and the vehicle higher as a wide battery pack on the floor became the key element determining the vehicle’s shape. Computer-generated sketches of the innards of the i3 shown on Wednesday, depicting the passenger module sitting atop the drive module, suggested a stagecoach without horses.

Mr. Kim and his colleagues were charged with making this tall and somewhat gawky form into something that … CONTINUED

As scenes from the latest installment of the Mission Impossible film series played on an 18-foot-tall, 39-foot-wide silk screen, the screen itself was whisked away to unveil the first concept vehicles of the new visionary and sustainable brand, BMW i – the fully electric BMW i3 Concept and the hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept – from which Paula Patton, star of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and BMW President Ludwig Willisch emerged, officially unveiling the vehicles for the first time in North America at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The BMW i3 and i8 Concept vehicles represent the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The BMW i8 Concept, which is the successor … CONTINUED

The BMW i8 and i3 vehicles were shown for the first time in New York at a private press event. The i8 will be a hybrid electric sports car and the i3 will be BMW’s entry into the city EV (electric vehicle) segment. Both strive to offer not just efficiency but performance to boot.

The second trailer has been released for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, which hits theaters December 2011. As this film’s main automotive partner, BMW will participate heavily in the next installment of the Mission Impossible franchise.

One of the feature vehicles will be Tom Cruise’s BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car, which will spawn the production BMW i8 in 2014. The F12/F13 BMW 6 series will also see some action in the film.

“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 EfficientDynamics concept car which will be presented in the film. With its … CONTINUED