With a year to go until its official debut, the BMW i8 continues its testing trials and heads north in Europe for some cold weather testing. Spied here with a heavy camouflage, the i8 test mule gives us a look at its sleek body with a low ride profile and the Lambo-style doors that were seen on the concept model as well.

The i8 combines the advantages of two different drive systems – an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. The electric motor is not a secondary power source, but rather an equal partner of the internal 1.5 liter three cylinder combustion engine. The engine is mounted at the rear and drives via a dual-clutch gearbox.

The car’s minimized weight, low center of gravity and finely judged balance, coupled with a combined system output of up to 354 horsepower.

A 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time comes under five seconds, with a combined fuel consumption in the European test cycle of less than 3 liters/100 km (78 MPG) and average real fuel consumption of between five and seven liters (33 – 47 MPG).

The BMW i8 is expected to debut in early 2014 and the price speculations fall around the $160,000 mark.

[Photo: Germancarforum]