Weekly Recap: BMW rolls out ambitious plug-in hybrid electric plan

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"We believe that for the United States, this is going to be very important." - Julian Arguelles

Let there be no doubt, BMW is serious about electric vehicles.

The German automaker said this week it will make plug-in hybrid versions of all of its core models, an aggressive move that demonstrates its commitment to electric propulsion systems. BMW did not specify which vehicles will get the plug-in systems or provide a timeline for when they will arrive.

But the announcement is clearly more than blustering, and the company revealed a 3 Series plug-in prototype this week at an event in France. BMW said the 3 Series uses a version of its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (240 horsepower, 300 pound feet of torque) with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission in place of the torque converter. It has an all-electric range of 22 miles. A plug-in X5 with the same powertrain was also displayed alongside the 3 Series, though the X5 has been on the auto-show circuit for more than a year, including a recent stop in Los Angeles.

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Weekly Recap: BMW rolls out ambitious plug-in hybrid electric plan originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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