The BMW Brilliance plug-in
BMW and its Chinese partner Brilliance reveal a LWB 5-Series plug-in hybrid for the China market ahead of the Shanghai Motor Show.
The Shanghai Motor Show is looming, and we’re starting to see pre-show reveals cropping up. But this is one reveal that has no real impact on anywhere but China, but is interesting nonetheless.
BMW’s partner in China is Brilliance, and they build a China-only LWB 5-Series. Which has now been given a plug-in hybrid platform to create the BMW Brilliance New Energy Vehicle.
The 5-Series plug-in gets a new 212bhp BMW lump – featuring ‘BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology’, according to the press release – and a 95bhp electric motor which is powered by a lump of batteries in the boot.
When the batteries are fully charged – and we get no indication of how long that takes – the 5-Series Plug-in can manage 43 miles at a steady 37mph. Which really tells us nothing about its real-world range. BMW do say the engine chips in another 250 miles range, so we assume the fuel tank is small to accommodate the batteries.
BMW-Brilliance do say the plug-in 5-Series is developed to suit Chinese needs very specifically, and its range is suited to the ‘…driving profile of Chinese customers in the premium segment.‘
The Plug-in 5-Series will launch in China in 2013, but there are no plans for a similar car in Europe.
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