2012 BMW i8 - Hybrid BMW supercar will be called i8

Serial version of a supercar BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, presented last fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, will be named i8, BMWBlog wrote, citing its own sources. Note that the German automaker previously registered as trademarks the names with the letter «i» and numbers from 1 to 9, and presented an image of a new logo for models with names.

It is assumed that the name chosen in honor of i8 supercar M8, which was developed as a competitor to Ferrari in the late 90-ies, but remained as a unique concept car. In this premiere M8 held only in July this year at a special event for journalists organized by the BMW Museum in Munich. However, it is possible that the BMW will be selected for the commodity model, a different name, because, according to other reports, the final decision will be made only after gathering the views of focus groups.

As previously reported, a hybrid supercar, BMW will present at the 2012 Olympics in London, sponsored by the German automaker. Buy novelty will be in the 2013-th and costs about 240 thousand U.S. dollars.

Hot News: Lancia's 300C to be Called Thema?

A Chrysler Delta isn't the only Italian-American concoction destined for the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. In fact, reports suggest Lancia's new full-size sedan, based heavily off the forthcoming 2011 Chrysler 300, will also make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

Fiat's luxury brand has been struggling to maintain momentum in the past several years; sales in 2009, for instance, fell to 112,000 vehicles in total. Still, the brand has hopes of tripling its sales within three years, thanks to a number of new products -- many of which may be shared with the Chrysler brand.

Chrysler management hinted months ago that the 300 could be sold as a Lancia, but Automotive News now suggests the final product, which may bear the revived Thema nameplate, could launch in Geneva by March. Apart from a new grille and revised bumpers, the 300 isn't expected to change much for its European tour of duty, although Thema buyers will have a few different engines to choose from. A 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6 may be offered with Chrysler's new 3.6-liter Pentastar gas V-6, but the majority of Themas will likely be built with the diesel offering.

Unlike previous Euro-spec 300s, which were built under contract by Magna Steyr in Austria, the Thema will likely be built alongside its LX platform siblings in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Thema production will only account for 10,000-15,000 units annually, but Lancia hopes the car will boost its image.

Look for the Thema to debut alongside Chrysler's rebadged Lancia Delta at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, and ultimately roll into European showrooms later next year.
Thanks to: Motor Trend