BmwX6

BMW X6 and Honda Crosstour: The Efficient Shape of Things to Come?

BMW ActiveHybrid X6 - Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Wired, a trend is emerging from the design studios of some of the world's top automakers, and it may be spreading like wildfire as you read this. We're talking about cars like the recently-unveiled BMW X6, Honda Crosstour and Audi A5 Sportback. Squint a bit and its not too hard to look at the overall shape of these three cars and see the outline of the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.

Of course, there's a big difference between the three aforementioned crossover/wagon thingies and hybrids like the Prius and Insight. While the big wagons are shaped to attract the attention of higher-end luxury buyers, the Prius and the Insight – itself accused of copying the shape of its rival from Toyota on numerous occasions – were styled in the wind tunnel to promote good fuel efficiency at highway speeds.

Regardless of the reason behind their being and whether or not you find them ugly or beautiful, it would seem that we should start getting ourselves accustomed to the sloping rear hatchback look – its now officially a trend.

Gallery: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

[Source: Wired]

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Tags: Audi S5 Sportback, AudiS5Sportback, blogactionday, bmw, BMW X6, BmwX6, fastback, honda, honda crosstour, honda insight, HondaCrosstour, HondaInsight, inthenews, prius, sportback, toyota prius, ToyotaPrius

BMW X6 Hybrid To Be World's Most Powerful Gas-Electric Vehicle

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

BMW ActiveHybrid X6 - Click above for high-res image gallery

High performance hybrid – an oxymoron? Not according to BMW, as the upcoming BMW X6 ActiveHybrid will be the most powerful hybrid in history with its 480 peak horsepower and diesel-like plateau of 575 lb-ft of torque. That's one muscular hybrid.

That impressive powertrain consists of twin electric motors (delivering 91 hp and 86 hp, respectively) and a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine. All those horses will be corralled through a seven-speed dual-mode transmission and BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. The run to sixty will take just 5.4 seconds and the top speed will be limited to 130 miles per hour.

The EPA has yet to test the vehicle, but the German automaker is estimating its X6 Hybrid will return a 20-percent fuel mileage improvement on average over the standard twin-turbo X6. That should mean about 18 miles per gallon combined here in the States. The official public debut is scheduled for the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and the sale date is slated for four-quarter 2009. Click past the break for the almost comically-detailed press release.

Gallery: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

[Source: BMW]

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BMW Pitches X6 Crossover as an Ideal Emergency Vehicle

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Luxury accommodation in medical care is growing into big business, but while many hospitals are offering luxuriously-appointed private rooms to rival the most prestigious hotels around the world, ambulances are still ambulances. That's not about to change, but BMW is pitching its X6 crossover as an ideal platform for an emergency response vehicle. This vehicle, which the German automaker will present at the upcoming RETTmobile emergency vehicle show in Germany, has been specially equipped to transport a doctor or paramedic to the scene of an emergency before a full-size ambulance could get there.

The X6 ambulance, powered by a 407-horsepower twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8, follows hot on the heels of the X6 M safety car which BMW presented specially for the MotoGP motorcycle racing series only days after the vehicle's debut at the New York Auto Show last month...not to mention arch-rival Porsche's Cayenne ambulances.

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Tags: ambulance, bmw, bmw x6, bmw x6 ambulance, bmw x6 emergency, bmw x6 xdrive50i, BmwX6, BmwX6Ambulance, BmwX6Emergency, BmwX6Xdrive50i, emergency vehicle, EmergencyVehicle, first responder, first response, FirstResponder, FirstResponse, x6, x6 ambulance, x6 emergency, X6Ambulance, X6Emergency

BMW X6 Redefines the Crossover; Bangle-Butt

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's truly a thing of beauty. The new X6, BMW's answer to consumers' burgeoning love of crossover utility vehicles (or "sport activity vehicle," as BMW bills it), dresses the part without losing the style and driving dynamics that make it a BMW. As BMW head design honcho Chris Bangle hints, it's higher off the ground but is every bit a sports car as, say, the M3.

Though it's "technically" a concept in this form, we expect to see this in production form as a 2008 model. It is also expected to be BMW's first production hybrid vehicle, upping efficiency by 20% over the gasoline-powered model.

[Via Autoblog]

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Tags: bmw, bmw m3, bmw x6, BmwM3, BmwX6, CUV, SAV, sport activity vehicle, SportActivityVehicle, SUV