The pictured car, spotted on the back of a truck in the south of Germany, is a mule of the much anticipated Bmw i3, the first electric car ever from the German group to hit production and also first outcome from the newborn i-series. The model was firstly introduced in prototype-form at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and since then we have been showered with videos and images of the futuristic i3 concept car, but truth is that the actual model is still well into its testing stage.

The pictured mule is indeed quite revealing of how the final version of the i3 will probably look like. Headlights seem to have found their definitive place in the front-end design, the roof line appears smoother than what we saw on the prototype whereas the window in the c-pillar is actually similar to the one of the i3 Concept. Rear doors will open in the same way as on the Mini Clubman, meaning that the front door needs to be opened in order to let the back seat passenger out.

The i3 should be using plenty of aluminum and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic - to keep the weight as low as possible - and has a design that uses two bench seats, front and back, for four passengers. It will be equipped with a 170 hp electric engine pushing the car from standstill to 100 km/h in less than 8 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 150 km/h and a range expected to be between 130 and 160 km in mixed driving. Bmw i3 is set to make its debut on the market toward the end of 2012.

View BMW i3 spy shots photo gallery

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