BMW has officially confirmed today that the production and sales of the BMW 5-series hybrid will start in 2011 and in the same time a 3-series hybrid is in development. The company pushes to reduce their car fleet emissions by 25 percent before 2020 and the first hybrid model will be available on the market in the next year.
Norbert Reithofer, BMW’s CEO, has announced at the automaker’s 90th Annual General Meeting of shareholders that as early as next year the new 5 Series will be also available as a full hybrid and the company is already anticipating the hybridization of further models series such as the BMW 3-Series.
The BMW 5 Series Hybrid will be based on the BMW 5-Series ActiveHybrid concept that was premiered at the Geneva Motor Show a couple of months ago. The 5-Series ActiveHybrid had a powerplant that combined a twin turbo engine that develops 300 HP with an electric motor which delivers 54 HP, resulting in a total power output of 354 HP. This concept used ten percent less fuel than other 5 series models.
Besides the new 5 Series hybrid Norbert Reithofer also declared that the company is currently working with modules to choose the most suitable hybrid solution for a future 3 Series hybrid.
