BMW i3 First Real Life Photo

Having hovered above the heads of the competition like a menacing axe, the long-awaited, so heavily debated BMW Megacity vehicle, more currently known as the i3, is closer to reality than most might have thought.

The car, which is to be launched onto the market in 2013, has been spotted by the omni-present spy photographers somewhere in Europe, where the model is undergoing testing. Thank to the guys from Gmotors, the world now has the chance to see the model, for the first time, out in the open (even though heavily camouflaged).

The i3 will build on the ActiveE 1 Series concept presented by BMW some time ago and brought, as an upgraded version, at this year's Geneva Auto Show. The i3 production model will probably be fitted with the same powertrain, even if some of the figures made public for the ActivE might change.

On the 1 Series model, the power for the car was insured by an electric motor which develops 170 bhp and a maximum torque of 250 Nm (possibly 150 bhp on the i3). The battery fitted into the model provides a range of about 160 kilometers, or 100 miles (possibly bigger on the i3).

The i3 production model will be launched, for both sale and lease, wearing a price tag estimated at EUR40,000 ($55,700) and will come as a very MINI-lloking vehicle, at least in terms of overall shape. BMW hopes to sell around 30,000 units of the model in the first year.

According to BMWblog, a concept version of the i3 might be shown for the first time at the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall.