While it’s clear that the overall shape and styling will resemble the original i3 Concept car displayed at the 2011 Frankfurt Show, the production model's exterior will be toned down a notch with less fancy detailing.
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At the recent LA Auto Show, BMW displayed a three-door concept version of the sub-compact model named the i3 Coupe, and it is this car that CarScoop reader Alfred H. spotted on the road this week.
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The i3 Concept Coupe will make its world premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, with the Bavarian automaker stating that it "demonstrates the potential for conceivably extending the model range", which in other words, means, expect a similar model to be added to the i3's range in the very near future.
While keeping the 5d model's lightweight structure and 2,570mm (101.2 inches) long wheelbase, BMW says that the Coupe has a "has a broader, lower-slung look". The designers also eliminated the see-through panels on the doors and the lower section of the rear tailgate.
The i3 Coupe study measures 3,964mm (156.1 inches) in length, 1,768mm (69.6 inches) wide and 1,555mm (61.2 inches) tall, making it roughly the same size as a Ford Fiesta hatchback.
To date, while BMW has set the market introduction of the 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo engine in diesel and petrol forms for 2013, it has only confirmed the i8 sports coupe and the i3 supermini gasoline-electric hybrids as the recipients of the three-cylinder units.
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Ford will offer a 122HP 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the Mondeo mid-size family car and BMW has already revealed a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that is part of the new TwinPower “family”.
On the sidelines of the Paris Auto Show, BMW sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson told reporters that the new 1.5-liter engine, which was displayed on the Active Hybrid Concept, “behaves like a six-cylinder, is half-of a six-cylinder and has the noise of a six-cylinder”.
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The prototype pictured here with the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" decal on the tailgate is believed to be the so called "REX" version equipped with a normally-aspirated 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a range extender charging the battery to generate extra miles.
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Speaking to reporters at the grand opening of the i sub-brand’s first sales outlet worldwide on London’s Park Lane, BMW global sales chief Ian Robertson said that the hybrid sports car will sell for "more than €100,000 (about US$125,400 or £80,600)" - apparently in Europe, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
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While some have been spreading the word that this particular i3 Concept features a newer interior that is closer to the production model, this is not true.
What BMW's designers did is simply change the colors of the cabin and add different materials on the seating surfaces and eucalyptus wood trim on the dashboard, nothing more, nothing less.
Previewed by the i3 concept study, the small hatchback will be the first member of BMW's new "i" sub-brand, which was created for models fitted with alternative drive trains, such as electric motors and hybrids. The i3 will go on sale in 2013 followed shortly after by the i8 hybrid sports coupe.
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BMW first told us about its experimental Highly Automated Driving system last summer but now we have the opportunity to see it work in action through a video report released by the German automaker.
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