IAA 2011 - BMW i8 Concept

So some people (you know who you are) were nagging that I should post some pictures from the IAA, the international car exhibition in Frankfurt. Well, okay, here's one, and there may be more to come in the future. Of course, if you're into cars then you probably know most of this already, so I'll try (but probably fail) to limit myself to the most interesting stuff photography-wise.

There are three ways to enter the IAA area. With the one my family took, we first arrived at BMW, which was pretty similar to the way it was 2009. Which means: A huge temple to Bavarian car culture, including their own 300 m track to let the cars run around a bit. And as the center piece, a study of a daring plug-in hybrid sports car. Last time, it was the "Vision EfficientDynamics", now it is the "i8 concept" and has some very minor design changes that you won't notice if you don't look for them.

A more civilized looking version of this car, together with the far smaller and far less daring BMW i3, will lead BMW's new BMW i sub-brand of range-extender cars that make extensive use of carbon fiber to offset the high weight of the batteries. The concept is interesting, the price will probably be a bit on the high-side. By the way, I asked, and this "i" is pronounced in whatever the local language is, not always in english. So it's "Ai-Eight" in english, but "Ih-Acht" in German. Contrast "iPhone", where it shows that you are a looser if you ever say "Ih-Phone" in German. That's important to know.