Plug-in hybrid (PIH) BMW 3 Series and 7 Series cars, and X5 SAVs have all been spotted around the world this year, usually sporting distinctive camouflage to one degree or another. It’s obvious BMW is going all in with electricity to increase marketability of its product lines as well as decrease carbon emissions over its entire range.
It appears that a PIH BMW X5, previewed earlier this year as the BMW X5 eDrive Concept, may be getting closer to production. A camouflage-free X5 was recently spotted in China, still sporting “Hybrid Test Vehicle” decals.
This model will reportedly be called a BMW X5 xDrive 40e. Under the hood will be an inline four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine putting out 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. In the back we will find an electric motor generating 95 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. All that adds up to a total of 340 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, with a fuel mileage rating way north of 50 mpg and the ability to run up to 22 miles on electricity alone.
Now that naked X5 plug-in hybrids are being seen in public, industry observers are speculating that we may see an official launch later this year, possibly at the Paris Auto Show in October.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of autoevolution.com, Auto Feng.]
