Spy Shots: BMW 1 Series hydrogen hybrid spotted testing

We recently learned from BMW that it was working on a hydrogen hybrid powertrain that was being tested in a modified front wheel drive 1 series. The announcement was buried in a lengthy press release about the 25th anniversary of BMW's R&D subsidiary Technik. The only images available were some renderings showing the powertrain architecture.

Our intrepid spy photographers have now captured the hydrogen hybrid sitting in parking area presumably somewhere in Munich as it is being prepared for testing. Now that BMW has acknowledged that it will build front wheel drive small cars in the future, a powertrain like this could be used in both BMW- and MINI-branded vehicles. Hopefully, BMW will give us an opportunity to sample this unusual system sometime in the not too distant future.