Mission: Impossible 4 movie gets green action with BMW electric supercar

BMW is casting a green starlet for its automotive role in Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol, slated to hit theaters in mid-December.

Behind the wheel, Tom Cruise will probably continue to defy all realities of city driving--but this time he'll at least be sending fewer emissions into the atmosphere.

He'll be driving a BMW Vision EfficientDynamics electric supercar, a concept vehicle that the company claims will evolve into the BMW i8 before it hits series production in a few years' time.

In concept form, the full-hybrid plug-in gets roughly 63 miles to the gallon, with a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine and an electric motor situated on each axle. It has regenerative braking capacity to recharge the 98 lithium-polymer batteries, and a thermoelectric generator for the on-board power supply.

“With its futuristic design and large glass surfaces, the car offers a fascinating perspective on the future of sheer driving pleasure, in combination with maximum efficiency,” BMW spokesman Ian Robertson said.

The few BMW-released photos of the Mission: Impossible 4 version of the supercar call to mind a crouching black panther waiting on its prey. And since this beast is only four feet tall, the villains battling Cruise will be lucky to see it coming.

By Michelle Koueiter