BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid

It seems luxury automakers dig hybrids, but only for their flagships. Following word of Mercedes' S400 hybrid, BMW has announced a new concept to be displayed at the upcoming Paris Motor Show that drops a hybrid powertrain — jointly designed with Mercedes — into its recently refreshed 7 Series sedan. While the Mercedes-Benz S400 has a smaller engine and gets nearly 30 mpg, the 7 Series ActiveHybrid has a V-8 under its hood that teams with a mild hybrid system to return — get this — 15 percent better fuel economy. The current 750 gets a combined 18 mpg, so a 15 percent improvement would bring that up to 20.7 mpg. The price tag would be high for such a hybrid, so we assume fuel savings isn't the primary goal of the 7 Series ActiveHybrid.At the same time, though, we wonder why BMW isn't trying to make a hybrid 1 or 3 Series.Car buffs, however, might find this an intriguing option, as the V-8 also gets a twin turbocharger, and its total power when teamed with the electric motor is 427 horsepower and 597 pounds-feet of torque. The hybrid batteries are lithium ion.We'd guess BMW will bring this to market at least in Europe. Mercedes has already said it will sell its S400 hybrid in both Europe and the U.S. in 2009.

source : cars