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BMW i3 EV revealed. It’s clever, but it’s not exactly pretty

The BMW i3 electric city car (pictured) has been officially revealed The BMW i3 – the first of BMW’s production ‘i’ electric cars – has finally been revealed at events in London, New York and Beijing as BMW plots its course to bring a premium electric city car to the world. Looking much like the original Mega City Concept, the i3 debuts a number of innovations from BMW – which are very clever – but it also debuts perhaps the worst looking BMW we’ve ever seen, with its incongruous lines, bulging bonnet, odd shapes on the flanks and slab-backed rear view. But what underpins the i3 is clever indeed, with a lightweight inner body made from carbon fibre and carbon fibre reinforced body panels providing the skin, all conspiring to make the i3 light – 1195kg, despite 25 per cent or so of that being batteries – and very rigid.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe (2015) revealed in patent pics

The BMW 4 Series Gran 4 Coupe is proof that BMW is continuing its efforts to fill every imaginable niche. It's a four-door version of the 4 Series coupe, which itself is based on the 3 Series saloon, and adds to a bewildering array of machines stemming from the F30 3 Series. Officially the 4 Series Gran Coupe, revealed in full in these images from the firm’s design patent, is given the ‘F36’ codename and is expected to be officially unveiled in early 2014. It joins the F30 (3 Series saloon), F31 (3 Series Touring), F32 (4 Series Coupe), F33 (4 Series Convertible), F34 (3 Series Gran Turismo) and F35 (3 Series long-wheelbase saloon) to complete the range of body styles.

Toyota’s Hiromu Naruse dies in LFA Nurburgring accident

Hiromu Naruse dies in LFA Nurburgring Frankly, we’re not too sure of all the details, but it appears that Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s Chief Test Driver – and Akio Toyoda’s personal driver – has been killed on a public road near the Nurburgring whilst at the wheel of a Lexus LFA Nurburgring Special. The reports coming in  state that Naruse collided with a BMW being driven by two test drivers. Neither of the test drivers in the BMW was killed, although it seems that one has life threatening injuries and is in a critical condition.