The rumour around is that the new BMW 6-Series is the feature car in the upcoming Mission Impossible film.
Once again, Tom Cruise appears on the big screen as Ethan Hunt and an equally impressive four-wheeled co-star also sees the limelight. Given the repertoire of supercars that have accompanied him in this role, this should come as no surprise.
BMW bloggers recently reported that it is the next-generation BMW 6-series which will appear in the fourth franchise of this successful classic relived, Mission Impossible 4: The Ghost Protocol. Following the formal announcement of BMW as the official automotive partner, the German car manufacturer’s Vision EfficientDynamics concept car appears to be elbowing the actor out of the spotlight. Cruise has just returned from a successful trip to Munich, headquarters of Bavaria Motor Works, after a private introduction to the equally impressive car.
With full plug-in hybrid technology, and with a governed top speed of 155 mph, the 6-Series reaches 62 mph in just 4.8 seconds. 356 bhp is achieved from the 3-cylinder turbodiesel with one electric motor per axle. All this is achieved and yet still returns 62.6 mpg. This may have a lot to do with the regenerative braking capacity which recharges the 98 lithium-polymer batteries, as well as a thermoelectric generator for the on-board power supply.
Since the modern-day Mission Impossible films are built around high-tech gadgets and stunts, it should not be a revelation to discover such an advanced car in the new film. Albeit, with a more planet-friendly perspective. There will still be something for everyone since Cruise is reported to have performed just as many stunts as in previous editions. Filming in locations such as Dubai, India and Great Britain, he recounted to reporters about making scenes such as that where he is poised atop the world’s tallest building, the Burk Kahlifa. He said that he spends ‘a lot of time hanging onto ropes that connect him to the 2,717 foot tall edifice’. Photo-shoots capture this as he poses on the observation deck, 124 floors above ground level.
The plot revolves around Cruise’s leadership of the IMF team and their challenge to re-capture their good name after being disowned by the politicians who created them. After the invocation of the ‘Ghost Protocol’, the team must use whatever technology, tools and cunning they can to avoid being labelled as terrorists themselves. One can only imagine what Josh Holloway, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Ving Rhames and Michael Nygvist, as the cast, endeavour to achieve.
The film’s wide appeal goes even further this time around. As well as being part filmed in India, Bollywood star Anil Kapoor, best known to Western audiences as the game show host in Slumdog Millionaire, also cameos.
Given that this is a car intended for production at some point in the future, the international cast and locations, as well as all the excitement and action one would expect from a Mission Impossible instalment, it certainly is one not to miss. Its global launch starts in December in USA.