3 Series Hybrid

BMW Promises More Hybrids, Compares Itself to Chanel

BMW is out to prove that Ultimate Driving Machines can also be Efficient Driving Machines. The famed German automaker is already dabbling in hybrid technology with models such as the X6 and large, range-topping 7 Series, but soon the marque will expand the fuel-saving technology to its mainstream 5 Series and even 3 Series models.

Speaking at the automaker's normally scheduled annual meeting, Chairman Dr. Norbert Reithofer said that the upcoming 5 Series ActiveHybrid will go into production in 2011. This application should pair a larger 40-kilowatt electric motor to the mild hybrid system currently used in the 7 Series, and it will reportedly be capable of powering itself using electricity only. Closely following the 5 Series is likely to be a hybrid version of the next-generation 3 Series.

Interestingly, Reithofer also pointed out that BMW is poised for future success as it is apparently very highly thought of by the younger generation.

BMW is the most prestigious brand among Generation Y. Generation Y refers to the young people born between the late 1970s and the year 1994 in the U.S. This consumer group has an annual spending capacity of 200 billion dollars – and the most prestigious brands to this young generation are BMW and Chanel.

You can find the rest of Reithofer's speech after the break.

[Source: BMW]

Tags: 3 series, 3 Series Hybrid, 5 series, 5 series activehybrid, 5 series hybrid, bmw, BMW 3 Series, bmw 3 series hybrid, bmw 3-series, BMW 5 series, bmw 5 series activehybrid, bmw 5 series hybrid, BMW 5-series, Generation Y