BMW may be a late entrant in the hybrid segment, but they are attempting to catch up quick. A few weeks ago, the company held the international media launch of the BMW ActiveHybrid X6. Along with the hybrid X6, BMW will produce the new ActiveHybrid 7.
Now the Munich based company has released information about another upcoming hybrid model, albeit with the slightly milder hybrid powertrain found in the 7 series hybrid and not the full hybrid powertrain found in the X6 hybrid.
The next hybrid system will be less complex than the ActiveHybrid setup used on the companies X6. The X6, with its complex and costly hybrid powertrain, can move under electric power only.
The next hybrid from BMW will utilize a mild hybrid system that can be easily adapted to some of the companies higher volumes vehicles. The system will be easily implemented into existing platforms with few modifications, but the system is not capable of fully electric motivation. This mild hybrid setup is the basis for the ActiveHybrid 7.
What models can we expect to see with the mild hybrid powertrain? From the words of BMW's hybrid project leader, "Volume models like the 3-, 5- and 7-series are clearly more suited towards a mild hybrid set-up on the basis of their packaging and broad appeal. But larger and heavier models like the X3, X5 and X6 lends themselves to a full hybrid solution. It's too early to say which models we will bring to market with a hybrid option but I can reveal we will launch a third hybrid model within the next 12 months."
Though BMW did not officially announce the next candidate for its mild hybrid setup, AutoBlogGreen suggests that it will likely find its way into the new 5 series which will debut early next year. BMW states that the next hybrid will be releases within 12 months.
Source: Autocar.co.uk , AutoBlogGreen
