BMW BLOG

Before the official launch of the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 in 2010, the new luxury sedan will be exclusively driven by public figures and VIPs, a move that BMW hopes it will draw some attention to their first high-end luxury hybrid sedan.

As the official launch date approaches, the 7 Series hybrid will be available to other customers as well. BMW’s first hybrid performance/luxury sedans will arrive in showrooms in Spring 2011 with a base MSRP of $103,125 including destination and handling for the ActiveHybrid 7 and $107,025 for the long wheelbase ActiveHybrid 7L.

The first production ready BMW hybrid uses a different electric drive setup from the X6 Hybrid and it’s being considered a mild hybrid. The system was developed in collaboration with Mercedes Benz. The upgraded V8 twin-turbo with High Precision Direct Injection runs together, at the same time, with a 3-phase synchronous electric motor which is positioned between the engine and the torque converter. The electric motor generates approximately 20 hp and peak torque of 155 lb-ft.

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At the L.A. Auto Show, New York Times sat down with BMW’s Head of head of sales and Marketing, Ian Robertson, and the main topic of discussion were BMW’s first hybrid models: ActiveHybrid 7 and ActiveHybrid X6.

Before we jump into their article, you can read upon our own test drive of the ActiveHybrid 7.

“BMW is a latecomer when it comes to hybrid vehicles, but it making up for that with the ActiveHybrid X6, introduced in the United States last week, and the ActiveHybrid 7, which is due next spring.

Ian Robertson, BMW’s Munich-based board member for sales and marketing, was flanked by both vehicles at the Los Angeles auto show when he presented an upbeat assessment of the company’s prospects, including “a clear increase of retail sales in November,” followed by “further solid growth” in December and “a relatively moderate sales decline in a range of 10 to 15 percent for the whole year of 2009.”

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BMW announced pricing today for the 2011 ActiveHybrid 7models during their North American debut at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

BMW’s first hybrid performance/luxury sedans will arrive in showrooms in Spring 2011 with a base MSRP of $103,125 including destination and handling for the ActiveHybrid 7 and $107,025 for the long wheelbase ActiveHybrid 7L.

The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Sedans feature BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and hybrid electric motor. The auto stop-start feature improves efficiency without interrupted climate control and other features.

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UK magazine Autocar is one of the first auto publications to sit behind the wheel of the upcoming BMW Active Hybrid 7. The first production ready BMW hybrid uses a different electric drive setup from the X6 Hybrid and it’s being considered a mild hybrid. The system was developed in collaboration with Mercedes Benz. The upgraded V8 twin-turbo with High Precision Direct Injection runs together, at the same time, with a 3-phase synchronous electric motor which is positioned between the engine and the torque converter. The electric motor generates approximately 20 hp and peak torque of 155 lb-ft.

The “pumped up” V8 twin-turbo engine produces 40 horsepower more than the engine found in the 750i/Li models to a total of 400 horsepower. The overall combined output is being advertised at 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. It runs from 0-62 mph in only 4.7 seconds (as tested by Autocar )

With these preliminary data, let’s take a look at what Autocar reports:

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100% ActiveHybrid. 100% Pure Joy. This is the punch line that BMW is using to promote their first hybrid vehicles available for the general consumer.

At least on paper, the two BMW hybrids seem to maintain the sportiness that characterizes the BMW brand while still being more efficient than the standard models. The X6 Hybrid and 7 Hybrid, while share the same core ideas on fuel efficiency, they are still using quite different technologies.

The ActiveHybrid 7 uses a different electric drive setup from the X6 Hybrid and it’s being considered a mild hybrid. BMW ActiveHybrid X6 features a two-mode hybrid system which allows the X6 to run either on its electric motors alone at low speeds, internal combustion or a combination of both.

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On the heels of the ActiveHybrid X6, today BMW announced the production version of the all-new BMW ActiveHybrid 7, which will also premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show (IAA) in September. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 will reach America shores in Spring, 2010. Based on the newest BMW 7 Series, this unique car sets new standards for performance and efficiency in the premium luxury class.

This symbiosis of an upgraded twin-turbo, High Precision Direct Injection, V8 engine with a 3-phase synchronous electric motor gives the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 a combined output of 455 hp and maximum torque of 516 lb-ft (preliminary figures). Power is transmitted via an 8-speed automatic transmission with the electric motor positioned between the engine and the torque converter. The electric motor receives its supply of energy from a lithium-ion battery developed specifically for use in this automobile.

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BMW continues the testing trials of its new BMW 7 Series Hybrid model and this time it was spotted at the Nurburgring track. BMW’s hybrid  dubbed 755ih will launch at the end of this year and it is the first BMW model to use the dual-mode ActiveHybrid system, which has discrete modes for high-torque, low speed driving as well as for high-speed cruises.

The second hybrid to use the same technology will be the X6 ActiveHybrid which will launch this year as well.

The BMW 7 Series Hybrid uses a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine that delivers 407 horsepower and 442lb ft, working in combination with an AC electric motor that can add another 20 horserpower and 155lb ft of torque. In mild hybrid form, the result is 15 percent less fuel consumption and emissions (in the EU test cycle) versus a combustion engine only equivalent.

To improve even more the fuel efficiency, the start/stop technology and the part-time alternator have been implemented in the Hybrid version as well. Other standard hybrid features, such as regenerative braking and optimized aerodynamics.

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One of the new models promised by BMW this year, the 7 Series Hybrid, was spotted by one of the readers over at our BimmerToday.de blog. Marketed under the 755ih name, the new 7er Hybrid production model will make its official debut at the IAA Auto Show in Frankfurt this fall.

The ActiveHybrid Concept was unveiled back at the L.A Auto Show, where we had the opportunity to spend some time with the car.  We also learned there that the BMW 755ih uses a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 petrol engine that delivers 407 horsepower and 442lb ft, working in combination with an AC electric motor that can add another 20 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque.

Being developed under the BMW EfficientDynamics program, the 7er Hybrid uses new technologies to improve even more the fuel efficiency, starting with the the Start/Stop technology and the part-time alternator, and continuing with the “Brake Energy Regeneration” system which conserves and reuses the braking energy to power the Hybrid vehicle.

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