BMW i3 drops camouflage to reveal exterior details

Only the grille and headlights, a thin strip below the window sills, and the tailgate and rear bumper BMW's first mass-produced electric vehicle remain obscured by swirly blue and white camouflage material.

The grille and headlights sit high at the front end above a clean bumper with broad black cut outs containing round fog lights.

Conventional front doors sit ahead of compact rear-hinged fixtures that aid access to the second seating row; the absence of fixed B-pillars and frames around the glass contributing to a clean side profile.

Mystery remains around the rear-end styling, where the German manufacturer has been careful to contain all but some thin strips of LEDs and additional lights positioned alongside the licence plate below the tailgate in the rear bumper.

The cabin is the final piece of the puzzle, and is expected to stay under wraps until BMW officially unveils the i3 in New York on July 29.

The revealing exterior images come just days after BMW announced many of the car’s technical specifications.

The BMW i3 will be available either as a pure electric car with a driving range of up to 200km or as a plug-in hybrid with a two-cylinder petrol engine generator and an extended 300km range.

BMW Australia will launch the i3 around the middle of 2014. The hybrid appears certain to headline the initial line-up, with the EV a lower priority but not ruled out for our market.

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