Volkswagen Jetta Engine Brain Box Electronic Control Module; 6 Cyl, Fed Emissi on 2040-parts.com

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.

Mini Paceman Concept (2011): first official pictures

These are the first official pictures of Mini’s not-so-mini Paceman Concept. Mini calls it a Sports Activity Coupe (SAC), but really it’s just a two-door Countryman. And as CAR revealed way back in April 2009, a second sportier version of Mini's biggest model is on the way: the Paceman will almost certainly reach production.

Toyota Yundong Shuangqing, Dear Qin concept cars at Beijing

If you want an idea of how important the Beijing motor show has become, get this: Toyota showed 38 production and concept cars in China this week. But two stood out: the Yundong Shuangqing and Dear Qin concept cars. Great names!