BMW has indicated that the stunning Vision EfficientDynamics model that wowed the crowds at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show is edging even closer to reality as the company confirms plans to put that model into production.
The swoopily-styled diesel/electric plug-in hybrid has been placed on a development fast-track scheme that should see it go on sale in Europe towards the tail-end of 2013.
The camouflaged prototype unit pictured here is powered by a three-cylinder common-rail diesel engine displacing 1,5 litres and developing just shy of 120 kW. The engine acts both as a means of driving the rear wheels via a dual-clutch transmission and as a generator in range-extender mode. This unit is then augmented by a pair of brushless electric motors: an 80 kW unit driving the front wheels and a smaller 38 kW unit that channels power to the rear. A powertrain management system allows the three powerplants to be operated individually of, or in conjunction with, one another depending on whether efficiency or performance is the order of the day.
The overall power output for this model will stand at around 238 kW, good enough to propel the 1 500 kg car from 0-100 km/h in 4,8 seconds and a top speed limited to 250 km/h. BMW expects the production model to return fuel consumption and CO2 figures of 3,8 litres/100 km and 99 g/km, respectively.
BMW’s R&D boss, Klaus Draeger, has hinted that a more powerful petrol unit could replace the diesel at a later stage, but quashed rumours that a conventional turbocharged engine could be shoehorned into the Vision’s shapely shell – effectively eliminating the possibility of this car giving birth to a spiritual successor to the M1.
In related news, BMW has also announced that it will debut a four-cylinder diesel EfficientDynamics set-up at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The system will combine a twin-turbo diesel powerplant with the company’s ActiveHybrid technology in an X5-flavoured package.
The ActiveHybrid component utilises lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged either by a recuperative braking system of roof-mounted solar panels.
The 2,0-litre, four-cylinder diesel will be mated with an 8-speed automatic transmission , and will develop a hearty 150 Kw and nearly 400 N.m of torque. The electric motor will add a further 14 kW and 216 N.m to the mix. According to BMW, the system achieves 5,4 litres/100 km in the combined cycle, while still propelling the big SUV to 100 km/h from standstill in 8,9 seconds.
