L.A. Auto Show: BMW ActiveHybrid 7 North American debut
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Little changed from its debut as a concept here last year, the ultra-luxurious ActiveHybrid 7 comes around a second time amid a flurry of industry advances in plug-in technology that seem to belie BMW’s trumpeting of a ‘mild’ hybrid that gets just 20 mpg in the city.
It’s only when you consider the ActiveHybrid’s heft of just under 5,000 pounds that its obvious thirst can be seen as something of an achievement. The extended version takes the car’s length to 205 inches, or 16-and-a-half feet. Ostentatious? Try plutocratic.
A twin-turbo V8 twinned with a 3-phase electric motor – pioneered in the X6 -- push out a combined 455 horsepower, propelling the car to a mile a minute in 4.7 seconds, which again is magnified when seen through the tinted glass of the car’s exterior dynamics.
The ActiveHybrid 7’s 60-pound, 120-volt lithium-ion battery pack fits snugly under the trunk floor, but don’t expect to rack up many miles on its electric motor -- drivers can go a mere 1.5 miles at speeds of up to, er, 37 mph before petroleum power kicks in. Its curb weight is 221 pounds heavier than the standard gasoline model.
Unfortunately, for more on BMW’s plug-in program you’ll have to check out the futuristic Vision concept also unveiled today. But that’s unlikely to make a production line soon, if ever.
Noting BMW sales are down 22% year on year, BMW’s head of sales, Ian Robertson, said: ‘It’s been a very challenging year, but we’re in a good position ... Between 2010 and 2012 we will replace around 60% of our current volume of vehicles.’ The ActiveHybrid 7 is slated for release in the second quarter of 2010.
The ActiveHybrid has some notably cool touches. BMW engineers – like any frugal cab driver – know that cars waste a lot of fuel when idling, so this one switches off the engine for you when the car is stopped, with its electric engine picking up the slack. And the ActiveHybrid packs an 8-speed automatic box (take that, Lexus 600h). Four-zone interior temperature can be controlled remotely to cool the car down before getting in on a hot day, a boon for Southern California consumers, BMW’s biggest client base.
Though clearly smitten by the 7-Series spacious and refined interior, we do wonder how many former 7-Series buyers will make the switch to the recently released 5-Series given the economy and the ActiveHybrid 7’s $103,125-plus price tag?
-- Craig Howie
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