BMW 5-Series Plug-in Hybrid Concept
BMW and its Chinese partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. Has developed a new plug-in hybrid version of the BMW 5-Series, revealed on 7th April ahead of its debut in just a few weeks at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show which is set to kick off on 19th April.
The car based on the long-wheelbase BMW 5-Series developed exclusively for the Chinese market, the PHEV version of the 5-Series revealed has been classed as a prototype. BMW and Brilliance had earlier worked together in a joint-venture to develop the China-specific 5-Series sedan and its long wheelbase variant in the Oriental nation.
The car also incorporates a parallel hybrid system which features a ‘TwinPower Turbo’ gasoline engine doling out 250 hp mated with an electric motor generating up to 70 kW. The purely-electric emission-free range of the vehicle is up to 64 miles at a constant speed of 37 mph, which BMW claims is the routine scenario in China. The gasoline engine extends this range by atleast another 250 miles.
