BMW hybrids break cover

BMW has joined the hybrid push with two new vehicles set make their debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the X6 and 7 Series ActiveHybrids. Eco-friendly Australian drivers are out of luck though with BMW Australia confirming that neither car will be offered in right-hand drive.

But that doesn't mean that will always be the case.

"At this stage they are manufactured in left-hand drive only," said BMW Australia spokesman, Tim James. "If it does get built in right-hand drive BMW would look very closely at introducing it in the Australian product line-up."

Building on the German marque's fuel-saving EfficientDynamics branding, the new ActiveHybrid petrol-electric range will give BMW another angle to promote its environmentally friendly image.

BMW already claims to have one of the most efficient fleets of any mainstream car maker, and the new hybrid models finally deliver the hardware to take on Lexus, which until now has been the only prestige car maker to offer hybrid models.

Taking a leaf from the Lexus hybrid handbook, both vehicles feature extensive battery systems that power an electric motors, but like most current generation hybrids BMW's green machines can only run on electric power for short periods of time.

Both models can travel short distances in eDrive mode (using only electricity) before their twin turbocharged 4.4-litre engines kick in. They also feature stop-start systems to reduce fuel consumption.

The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 uses 9.4L/100km, a figure which is significantly lower than the standard models' fuel consumption of 11.4L/100km thanks to its three-phase synchronous electric motor.

Regenerative braking also forms part of the hybrid augmentation, while a 400 watt-hour lithium-ion battery that weighs 27kg stores the excess energy.

Compared to the standard 750i model, the new ActiveHybrid 7 has more torque (700Nm) and is slightly faster in a straight line, able to hit 100km/h from rest in 4.9secs. This represents an improvement of three tenths of a second over the non-hybrid's 5.2secs. It uses an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The mild hybrid gets special 19-inch alloy wheels with an aerodynamic design and final CO2 emissions of 219g/km are quoted.

While the ActiveHybrid 7 is a 'mild' hybrid and gets a single electric motor, the ActiveHybrid X6 is true hybrid and features a lot more technology. It gets two electric motors and makes more torque (780Nm) as a result, yet still reduces fuel consumption by a claimed 20 per cent.

Furthermore, the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 features a more advanced twin mode active transmission with three planetary gearsets and four multi-plate clutches, which allows one electric motor to work solo but can initiate the second electric motor for more power.

The ActiveHybrid X6 emits 231 grams of CO2 per kilometre and will accelerate from zero to 100km/h 5.5 seconds. The SUV make use of a seven-speed auto gearbox.

Stay tuned to the Carsales Network for more details on BMW hybrid aspirations and all the news from the Frankfurt motor show.

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