BMW & Brilliance China Automotive Holdings have jointly created prototype of an environment friendly hybrid plug-in vehicle based on the 5 series midsized sedan which is available exclusively in China. Although the vehicle which has been created is just a prototype as of now, the companies involved in the project have a plan to start a limited series production of the same as early as 2013. BMW is planning to unveil the car at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show later this month.
Since the car is a hybrid, it uses both a combustion engine & an electric motor as sources of its power. Use of the electric motor makes the car environment friendly & fit for urban driving since it will emit less carbon than a gas guzzling one. It is also being seen as a small step towards reducing the amount of carbon China adds to the atmosphere every year. Although a lot more is required to be done, introduction of less polluting vehicles on Chinese roads is surely a welcome move.
As far as the vehicle is concerned, it is capable of doing 47 miles on the electric power at a constant speed of 37 miles/hour. The combustion engine of the car has been designed using BMW’s Twin Power Turbo Technology & gives 249 miles of minimum range.
The car is meant exclusively for the Chinese market & there is no plans as yet to introduce it in US. But it is believed that BMW is planning a a traditional mild hybrid version of the car for the American market.
Source: Auto blog Green
