Now that spyshots of the BMW i3 have been plenty, it’s not difficult to imagine what the production i3 will resemble. That’s what Car and Driver’s artist has done here, in this render of an i3 which they call “Scion xD meets the scoundrel pigs from Angry Birds.”

The render is easily believable, based on current spy photos and the original Megacity render released by BMW (posted below for reference).

Despite being an all electric vehicle, the BMW i3 will have sporty intentions. It’s been confirmed to be RWD and “mid-engined” and has all along been advertised as using extensive use of carbon fiber to keep its weight down while maintaining structural rigidity. It will be the world’s first volume production car made of lightweight carbon fiber and … CONTINUED

Autoblog’s Damon Lavrinc has confirmed what many had figured out from the i3 spy videos, that the 2013 i3 will be rear wheel drive and “mid-engine”. The BMW i3 is BMWs first forray into a mass production electric vehicle, mainly geared towards large cities, as its original name implies (Mega City Vehicle). Thats not to say its the first EV from BMW, as they have already been learning alot from the MINIe and BMW 1-Series ActiveE, this car simply represents the next step– smaller packaging and larger industries of scale.

The BMW i3 itself is the world’s first volume production car made of lightweight carbon fiber and is to be built in Leipzig. BMW expects to have the cars produced in “Significant volumes” by 2013, targeting 30,000 … CONTINUED

We bring you the first spy videos of the BMW i8 in cold weather testing runs. The live motion view gives us even more impressions of the future hybrid sports car and it looks sleeker and lower than ever. View videos inside.

BMW i news on a roll today. Just moments after the first ever BMW i8 spy shots, here are the first ever BMW i3 spyhots. The BMW i3 is the production version of BMW’s long-awaited Mega City Vehicle.

The BMW i3 will hit the market in 2013 and targets an annual sale of at least 30,000 units.

Here are the first spyshots of the BMW i8, flagship of the new BMW i sub-brand, conducting cold weather testing. According to Scott26, it’s undergoing drivetrain testing and some details on the car seen here will still be subject to change.

The i8 was previously intended to be powered by a 161-horsepower 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo DIESEL engine mated with a hybrid synchronous motor on the front axle (80HP) and full electric motor on the rear axle (51HP), to give a combined 292HP. But, according to R&D chief Klaus Draeger, the diesel motor will now be replaced by a traditional gasoline engine in order to appeal to the widest potential sales market.

The Vision Efficient Dynamics concept on which the i8 is based will be featured in the upcoming … CONTINUED

According to Ian Robertson of BMW, the company appears to be targetting annual i3 sales of at least 30,000 units by drawing a production target comparison to lower-volume Mini models (such as the Clubman, of which 30,000 were sold globally in 2010). Meanwhile, the i8’s pricing remains to be determined, based on future legislation (and no doubt any tax breaks for green vehicles).

The BMW i3 launches in 2013 and the i8 shortly after, with both models to be built in BMW’s Leipzig plant.

More info on i3, i8, and BMW’s new i sub-brand can be found at http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=491912

In a big fundamental change for the upcoming BMW i8, the future BMW halo car will be powered by a gasoline engine instead of diesel. It was previously intended to be powered by a 161-horsepower 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo DIESEL engine mated with a hybrid synchronous motor on the front axle (80HP) and full electric motor on the rear axle (51HP), to give a combined 292HP. The diesel motor will now be replaced by a traditional gasoline engine.

According to R&D chief Klaus Draeger (via Autocar), the i8 will instead be petrol (gasoline) powered in order appeal to the widest potential market. Says Draeger - the change is being made “as we want to sell it all over the world. Diesel is only really relevant to Europe

Earlier today, Adrian van Hooydonk explained BMW’s process of building a new design language for the BMW i vehicles. The task in a nutshell: Create a design that ties in with the BMW brand, yet add unique styling cues to give BMW i models a unique identity. Let’s have a look at this in detail.

BMW just announced its new sub-brand - the BMW i. The first two cars of the new brand will be the BMW i3 and the BMW i8. The i3 is the production version of the Mega City Vehicle, the i8 the production version of the Vision Efficient Dynamics. Both cars will be built at the Leipzig Plant. The i3 launches in 2013, the i8 shortly after.