Photo: Weibo.com
It seems like our presumption that BMW will invest more and more in hybrid plug-in models was accurate as a model dubbed 530Le was just spotted recharging in China.
According to the nomenclature, the car should be using a 3-liter petrol turbocharged unit and an electric motor but there’s no official info on the matter available. Furthermore, judging by the recent naming scheme enforced in Munich, we can’t really be sure about anything just by the name of the model alone.
The car is obviously a prototype, wearing small patches of camouflage all around, including on the front fascia over the badge, round the back on the C-pillar covering what we presume is an ‘eDrive’ badge, on the wheel caps and on the boot lid, once again covering the badge, in a futile attempt to hide the car’s origin.
This 530Le model could be the replacement for the not-so-great ActiveHybrid5 that is already technically old and not on par with the times. If this prototype is using the same technology as the X5 eDrive concept, expect great things out of it.
With a combined power output of over 300 HP and nearly 600 Nm of torque, this car could be a potential problem solver in China, depending on the electric range it has.
The air quality in the busiest Chinese cities is the biggest problem the administration is facing today. Due to the accelerated income growth and the old technology the Chinese cars use, the CO2 emissions are off the charts over there, making life a living hell, literally.
That’s why EVs are the solution in the communist country. If the 530Le turns out to have a similar near 20 miles (32 km) range on electric power alone, it would become a best seller over night in China, addressing both the range anxiety issue and the pollution problem.
The rest of the world could also benefit from this new model, as BMW’s studies showed that most daily commutes don’t go over 10 to 15 miles. That means that people could go to work on electric power alone and get out of town for longer trips on conventional power.
Rumor has it that a new range of eDrive models will be launched later this year.
The car is obviously a prototype, wearing small patches of camouflage all around, including on the front fascia over the badge, round the back on the C-pillar covering what we presume is an ‘eDrive’ badge, on the wheel caps and on the boot lid, once again covering the badge, in a futile attempt to hide the car’s origin.
This 530Le model could be the replacement for the not-so-great ActiveHybrid5 that is already technically old and not on par with the times. If this prototype is using the same technology as the X5 eDrive concept, expect great things out of it.
With a combined power output of over 300 HP and nearly 600 Nm of torque, this car could be a potential problem solver in China, depending on the electric range it has.
The air quality in the busiest Chinese cities is the biggest problem the administration is facing today. Due to the accelerated income growth and the old technology the Chinese cars use, the CO2 emissions are off the charts over there, making life a living hell, literally.
That’s why EVs are the solution in the communist country. If the 530Le turns out to have a similar near 20 miles (32 km) range on electric power alone, it would become a best seller over night in China, addressing both the range anxiety issue and the pollution problem.
The rest of the world could also benefit from this new model, as BMW’s studies showed that most daily commutes don’t go over 10 to 15 miles. That means that people could go to work on electric power alone and get out of town for longer trips on conventional power.
Rumor has it that a new range of eDrive models will be launched later this year.
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