2007 Frankfurt Auto Show: BMW X6 Hybrid Concept
- Looks like: A hybrid Hot Wheels brought to life
- Defining characteristics: BMW’s menacing answer to the Toyota Prius
- Ridiculous features: A 20% gain in mileage? If it’s a concept, BMW should aim higher
- Chance of being mass-produced: Believe it or not, this could very well be in your favorite environmentally conscious celebrity’s driveway soon
Following on the heels of the plain-old gasoline-powered X6 concept comes the X6 hybrid. Again, we’ll preface this entire “concept” thing with the fact that we’re pretty darn sure this will be at a BMW dealership sometime before the end of the decade, looking pretty much exactly like the images here. The hybrid system is the two-mode variety and is based on technology jointly developed with GM and Mercedes-Benz.
BMW says it will get 20% better fuel economy than a standard X6 — because they’re all just concepts, no standard powertrain information has been released — by allowing the electric motor to power the car from a stop and at low speeds, with the engine kicking in at higher speeds. This also marks BMW’s first traditional gasoline-electric hybrid planned for mass production. Oh, wait — it’s still a concept. Expect to see more hybrids from BMW using the same system in more familiar models. We think the boring old X5 SUV could use a hybrid version. More photos of the X6 hybrid concept below.
