BMW 3 and 5 hybrids confirmed
20.05.2010 - Owen Ready
(12)
Plans to build a production version of the BMW 5-series ActiveHybrid model as early as next year have been announced, with a hybrid 3-series to follow.
BMW already sells X6 and 7-series hybrids abroad, but the 5-series ActiveHybrid may well become the first version to be sold in the UK.
Like the X6 ActiveHybrid, the 5-Series will be a full electric/petrol hybrid, allowing it to travel on electric power alone during low-speed driving. The 40kW (54bhp) electric motor can also work alongside the six-cylinder petrol engine.
A dual-powertrain version of the next-generation 3-Series has also been confirmed, while BMW's Megacity all-electric vehicle programme will go on sale within the next two years.
The new initiative was announced by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer, who said: "We want to reduce our global fleet's carbon emissions by at least another 25 per cent between 2008 and 2020."
These models will help BMW to reduce its average CO2 emissions as the EU looks to limit overall emissions to just 95g/km by 2020.
