How the BMW i8, a.k.a. the “Mission:Impossible” car, will look on the road

The BMW i8, a plug-in hybrid concept made famous by its role in "Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol," only looks futuristic; its actual production date is less than two years away. At the Detroit auto show, I had a chance to walk around the i8 with BMW chief designer Adrian von Hooydonk and ask what the road-going i8 will really look like.

Von Hooydonk's has overseen a quiet restitution of BMW design from the controversial bustle-back look earlier this decade -- a look he had as much to do with as his infamous predecesor, Chris Bangle. While the 3-Series and other mainstream BMWs have embraced a more conservative look, the upcoming i-Series will offer as big a break with the past as von Hooydonk can muster.