Mission Impossible Stars Tom Cruise and BMW

BMW is spending upwards of $10 million to promote the role its vehicles play in the new Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Star Tom Cruise drives Beemers in heart-stopping chase scenes, including the futuristic BMW i8 concept car that is at the heart of BMW's design for making vehicles more energy efficient.

There are only two pre-production versions of the high-tech i8 in existence, so it must have been a nail-biter for BMW execs to watch one of these priceless high-tech babies risk a fender bender during filming. Other chases are done in more conventional BMW 6 Series models.

The i8 has its Red Carpet moment parked in the driveway of one of Dubai's architectural wonders that include the world's tallest building, the Burj al Khalifa.

The BMW i8 is a plug-in gas-electric hybrid with sweeping wing-like doors, a body made mostly of super-strong, super-expensive and super-lightweight carbon fiber. Because of its cost, until now, carbon fiber has been used primarily in racecars and only sparingly in vehicles for the rest of us. But its lighter weight offsets the added weight of hybrid batteries.

The BMW i8 is unusual under the hood, as well. A turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine (yes, three - not four) that produces 163 hp powers the rear axle, while a 164 kw electric motor powers the front. BMW says the the dual powerplants can catapult the i8 from zero to 60 mph in under five seconds, which is similar to the high performance BMW M3 sports car. The i8 also has a top speed of 155 mph. And, the i8 can travel about 20 miles on electric power alone, which BMW calls eDrive, and will recharge fully in under two hours.

BMW says the sleek, low-slung, silver and glass sports car with flip-up doors will be ready for prime time in 2014, a year after the sub-compact all-electric i3, which is designed to be a city car rather than a sporty performance sedan. The smaller i3 also has unusual doors - these open 'coach', or clamshell style, so there's no mid-frame pillar to bump your head on. The interior is open and airy, with what BMW describes as a "lounge-style ambiance".

BMW vehicles are featured throughout Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, sharing the spotlight with Tom Cruise, Paula Patton and Jeremy Brenner. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, it is costing BMW upwards of $10 million to promote the film, and 2012 BMW models including the 6 Series convertible, the X3 SUV and the 1 Series compact car being introduced to North America from Europe with the 2012 models.

The two 'i' models are part of a new sub-brand BMW is creating for these so-called advanced mobility models. The Munich-based manufacturer already is producing electric cars for its Mini Cooper sub-brand.

BMW seems to be hoping that it will be associated with Mission Impossible much the same way as Aston Martin became linked to James Bond.