Photo: CarPix
After catching a glimpse of the upcoming BMW 3 Series Plug-in hybrid wearing a weird black stripe on the side that was probably meant to be some sort of camouflage, the team decided to drop the whole thing. Even better, I say. After all, all that stripe managed to do is draw attention to itself.
Now we get a clear look at the ‘fuel cap’ on the front left fender that covers the socket for recharging the car, completely giving away the fact that BMW plans to launch a plug-in hybrid for the 3er range, most likely with the facelift the car is bound to get somewhere in late 2015, early 2016.
Even though some might say that BMW already has a hybrid in this range in the shape of the ActiveHybrid3 model, it should be noted that this model will be a plug-in, unlike the AH3.
Furthermore, the new 320e (that’s the nameplate it will be wearing) is probably going to use a completely different drivetrain. My guess is that it will be using i3’s eDrive technology for electric movement and the new 4-cylinder turbocharged engine from the MINI Cooper S (part of the B-engine family) with 192 HP and 300 Nm of torque as the N-family engine will be replaced pretty soon by modular units. Of course, the gearbox will be ZF’s 8-speed auto.
This will make it a very tempting car, with around 270 HP and nearly 400 Nm of torque at its disposal that has an electric range of up to 30 miles and, I’m pretty sure, excellent dynamics.
While some might whine that BMW is going further away from what made them who they are today, with such offerings, I’d just like to point out that the stringent emission and fuel efficiency standards are the reason such cars come out.
Even though some might say that BMW already has a hybrid in this range in the shape of the ActiveHybrid3 model, it should be noted that this model will be a plug-in, unlike the AH3.
Furthermore, the new 320e (that’s the nameplate it will be wearing) is probably going to use a completely different drivetrain. My guess is that it will be using i3’s eDrive technology for electric movement and the new 4-cylinder turbocharged engine from the MINI Cooper S (part of the B-engine family) with 192 HP and 300 Nm of torque as the N-family engine will be replaced pretty soon by modular units. Of course, the gearbox will be ZF’s 8-speed auto.
This will make it a very tempting car, with around 270 HP and nearly 400 Nm of torque at its disposal that has an electric range of up to 30 miles and, I’m pretty sure, excellent dynamics.
While some might whine that BMW is going further away from what made them who they are today, with such offerings, I’d just like to point out that the stringent emission and fuel efficiency standards are the reason such cars come out.
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