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BMW will launch its first hybrid models at next month’s Frankfurt motor show — and one of them will be the world’s most powerful hybrid.

Badged ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7, the two cars use V8 petrol engines, but the X6 features two electric motors while the 7-series has one.

See the BMW X6 and 7-series hybrid picture gallery

The X6’s drivetrain will produce a combined ...Read the full article

Hmm I think this is about performance. Maybe this line is a clue:

"The car can also run on electric power only at up to 37mph for 1.6 miles. "

Marketing schpiel. The 740d that Autocar drove emits 181g/km. Good effort, but maybe the  3-litre twin turbo petrol engine would've been more sensible...

TStag:

The car can also run on electric power only at up to 37mph for 1.6 miles

 

 

can someone explain why this is please? So you do your 1.6 miles of electric powered driving... then the V8 takes over, then what?! How do you get your electric power back?

1.6 miles, seems a waste of time...

 

Keep it simple thanks!

"...28.5mpg, with CO2 emissions of 231g/km. The car can also run on electric power only at up to 37mph for 1.6 miles."

Way to go BMW, excellent use of hybrid tech. Why save the world when you can waste time on a niche within a niche, eh? 

Still, I'm sure this will be very useful for negotiating Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré...

Squonk61:

"...28.5mpg, with CO2 emissions of 231g/km. The car can also run on electric power only at up to 37mph for 1.6 miles."

Way to go BMW, excellent use of hybrid tech. Why save the world when you can waste time on a niche within a niche, eh?

 

 

Good post.

This has to be close to the ultimate marketing cynicism. Most companies would be ashamed to release figures like this, never mind brag about them.

However, it will probably sell in the USA  where the words "hybrid" and "sainthood" seem to have become interchangeable (people generally being not very technically aware).

 

While I don't necessarily agree with what BMW if offering here, I think they have strong reasons for doing this:

- BMW is still (mostly) about performance so they are never going to offer a 7-series that can't outrun a Prius
- Hybid technology is still expensive (even for Toyota who have sold their units in the millions now) so the only way BMW is likely to get some return on their investment in the short term is to make it a premium product, which for them equals performance.

I'm sure that once they have got people used to the hybrid idea and they have paid back some of the steep R&D costs, we'll see cheaper, lower performance/better efficiency hybrids from them too.

The electric performance and range is frankly pathetic.

Having said that, considering how powerful these engines are (in X6's case the drivetrain will produce a combined 478bhp and 575lb ft), the quoted mpg and CO2 emmissions are not bad at all.

TStag:

Hmm I think this is about performance. Maybe this line is a clue:

"The car can also run on electric power only at up to 37mph for 1.6 miles. "

You do realise that it's a hybrid they've produced, not an EV? The Prius will only run for a similar distance on battery alone. A hybrid is about using multiple power sources for maximum efficiency or power. The range on battery alone of some hybrid trains is zero. And I agree with the observation that BMW are targeting the premium sector first. Toyota have a ten year head start on BMW so they'd be foolish to try to compete head on yet. That said, it would be interesting to see what they could do with the technology using their 3 litre petrol engine - that seems to already offer a pretty impressive balance of economy and performance.

I do realise that it's not an EV. But it stikes me as a poor effort. I admit performance is better but I just thought BMW could do better than this.

To put it in context MG Rover had something like this working in an MG F several years ago. It's really not rocket science. Surely making cars out of aluminium to save weight, increase MPG and boost performance would have been a smarter move.

COME ON PEOPLE! I really think the point of this technology is largely lost in this forum. Do people realise what BMW-MERC have achieved here? Let me repeat..

Near 500BHP V8 PETROL, ALMOST 600LB/FT TORQUE AND YET EVEN WITH 2.5 TONNES LOG ABOUT, IT'S STILL GIVING CLOSE TO 30MPG AND 230g/km CO2. The 7 - Series figures are even more captivating. Regardless of which model this technology is being showcased in, it should not detract from this simply amazing piece of engineering feat.

No one complains that a Nissan GTR with only 3.8Litres, 480BHP/430LBFT torque & 1.75tonnes releases 298g/km CO2. Imagine this engine in a lighter car and I for one feel very excited about the future of performance cars and their efficiencies. We should really celebrate this. It is after all a petrol engine and not a diesel. The 30mpg hypercar is almost upon us!