Renewable Gossip

BMW announced today that its first hybrid, the ActiveHybrid X6, will make its world premier at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and will arrive in US showrooms in late 2009. BMW will also show the ActiveHybrid 7—which will reach the US in Spring 2010—in Frankfurt.

BMW ActiveHybrid 6

We posted spy photos of the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 last month, when we received a report that the first production vehicles were rolling off the line at BMW’s Spartenburg, SC manufacturing facility. The latest announcement confirms BMW’s progress with its hybrids.

The ActiveHybrid X6 is a full hybrid vehicle that delivers a full dose of oomph—480 horsepower when you combine power from the twin-turbocharged V8 4.4-liter gas engine and two electric motors. Fuel efficiency is improved by about 20 percent when compared to a comparable conventional vehicle, pushing the Hybrid X6’s fuel economy just above the 20-mpg mark. Expect zero-to-60 performance around five-and-a-half seconds, and a price tag of approximately $70,000.

Better Never Than Late?

If BMW is expecting to create green buzz with its first hybrids, it may be disappointed. BMW’s announcement about its 20 mpg SUV hybrid and sedan is occurring just as green car fans are responding to news about mainstream plug-in cars that could achieve the equivalent of 100 mpg or more. The X6 hybrid is expected to run exclusively on electric power up to 37 miles per hour for as much as 1.5 miles—but a new generation of plug-in hybrids will run in all-electric mode for days.

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