Next spring, longtime diesel-favoring, car maker BMW plans to debut their first and perhaps only, gas-electric hybrid: the ActiveHybrid X6 “sports activity coupe,” essentially a mini crossover. Blending the smooth appeal and sporty performance of a Bimmer with an electric motor, the vehicle will run on electric power at speeds up to 37 mph—a healthy cruising capability—before kicking into gasoline-powered driving. (It is a BMW, don’t forget, meaning the 480-hp V8 portion of the set-up equals a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds.) Overall fuel economy improvements are expected to be roughly 20 percent.
For a sneak peek at the technology that will be housed within the sleek package, including electric motor generators that convert kinetic energy into electric with every push of the brakes; take a look at this new video by BMW. Expect a closer look when the vehicle is officially unveiled at this September’s, Frankfurt Motor Show.
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Nice looking ride – and a flashy presentation but I’d like to see more stats and less hype (the whole web site is a big flash commercial – I couldn’t find any useful info). And a 20% increase in fuel economy isn’t much when you are talking about a crossover – maybe a few miles per gallon. Still I suppose it is good that more companies are “going green”.