BMW Concept Active Tourer

BMW is pulling the curtain back on the Concept Active Tourer, a little three-cylinder, front-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid that will debut in less than two weeks at the big French car conclave (2012 Paris Auto Show).

BMW Concept Active Tourer. (Picture from: http://gas2.org/)

This car boasts the eDrive concept that BMW is putting a lot of marketing energy into with its BMW i brand (Mini-E, BMW i8 electric supercar, i3 city car), extending eDrive for the first time to a model in what the company calls its "core BMW brand."

The Concept Active Tourer lands in the premium compact category, which BMW believes will be growing solidly (5 percent or more on an annual basis) in the next several years. The emphasis is on interior space for family use – BMW says "a high roof line and a compact transverse engine with front-wheel drive make it possible to create a generously sized interior."

BMW Concept Active Tourer. (Picture from: http://gas2.org/)

But it’s the front-wheel drive – "a drive concept which is new to the BMW brand," the company says — that will probably have most people talking about this vehicle in Paris. By presenting a futuristic interior design, luxurious and roomy. Panoramic roof made ​​the passengers feel at home in its cabin.

Concept car that brought hybrid system uses engine 1.5 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder to drive the two front wheels. Then also installed an electric motor which serves to drive the two rear wheels. That way, the car is very fuel efficient (40 km/liter) and low CO2 emissions (60 g/km).

BMW's plug-in hybrid cars. (Picture from: http://gas2.org/)

The car's hybrid system produces output power over 140 kW/190 hp. Car acceleration from 0-100 km/h in less than 8 seconds (better than most hybrids) with maximum speed of 120 km/h. Plug-in hybrid cars can run using electricity as far as 30 kms with a Lithium-ion battery that can be charged at home with a voltage of 220V. *** [DIH | GAS2 | EARTH TECHLING | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 21092012]

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