BMW i8 prototype gives us clearest view yet of its form

The BMW i8 is still dashing through the snow on its way to a 2013 debut, and getting more revealing as it does so. The outline of the kidney grille has opened up a bit, and the outline of a Hoffmeister kink has been placed at the rear of the side windows. The door handles appear to have moved off the doors themselves to a spot behind the door shutline. It's too early to tell definitively, but the new door handle location and the lack of the once-plain gap at the A-pillar lead us to believe that the butterfly openings are gone for good.

The plug-in hybrid i8 is expected to pair a 1.5-litre three-cylinder driving the rear wheels with an electric motor driving the front, the combined output predicted at 393 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Assuming its weight really does come in at 1,417 kilograms (3,125 pounds), it will have a 32 kilometre (20-mile) all-electric range, a top speed of 251 km/h (156 miles per hour), and get from zero to 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in only 4.9 seconds.

Check it out in the high-res gallery of spy shots above.