BMW BLOG

These days, BMW is actively testing  their upcoming models in snow and winter conditions. The BMW X6 Hybrid makes no exception and it joins the BMW X1 test mule we saw yesterday. The photos were brought to us by our friends at GlobalMotors. As announced by Mr. Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of the BMW Group responsible for Sales and Marketing,  the hybrid X6 will go on sale by the end of this year as a 2010 model.

If you have been a regular reader of our blog, you probably recall the multiple articles in which we talked about the X6 Hybrid, but if you’re new here, then allow me to repeat myself.  The BMW X6 is a two-mode hybrid based on an 8-cylinder gasoline engine which has been custom-made to meet the requirements of an SAV.

The newer, greener X6 will utilize the previously outlined dual-mode ActiveHybrid system, which has discrete modes for high-torque, low speed driving as well as for high-speed cruises.

The system uses a modular hybrid system which can be adapted to many different engine/vehicle combination, as opposed to a design-specific petrol engine/hybrid combination, which sees wider use in the automotive industry.

The two-mode hybrid uses about 20 percent less fuel than than a comparable vehicle with combustion engine.

The car is rumored to come in only two colors and to be quite expensive. But in the mean time, I would love to see BMW’s winter test results and determine the X6’s efficiency in this climate.

P.S The obnoxious bulge on the hood is almost gone.

[Source: See more photos at GlobalMotors ]