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February 09, 2012

This Week:

• The MINI Roadster garanties race car feeling and top-down driving excitement

• Honda NSX Concept and European CR-V Prototype take centre stage at Honda's 2012 Geneva Motor Show

• 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser to Make North American Debut at Chicago Auto Show

• The new BMW ActiveHybrid 5 - The latest generation of BMW ActiveHybrid technology

• Chrysler Group Reports Full Year 2011 Net Income of $183 Million

• GM Sales in China Drop 8 Percent in January

• New 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible Helps SVT Mark Its 20th Anniversary of Delivering High-Performance Vehicles

• Improved protection for rear passengers - New milestone of technology: active seat-belt buckle

• Audi with hybrid drive at Le Mans for the first time

• Volkswagen introduces the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB)

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Superior efficiency thanks to ECO PRO mode including coasting and intelligent energy management. In order to fully exploit the potential of the BMW ActiveHybrid technology, the intelligent energy management of the power electronics uses a host of innovative functions to ensure the drive system runs efficiently. Charging of the high-performance battery primarily takes place during coasting or braking, the electric motor performing the role of a generator feeding energy into the high-voltage battery. By contrast, under acceleration the electric motor takes on a boost function. Here, it assists the petrol engine by generating an ultra-dynamic burst of power, lending the sedan’s sporty driving experience a sharper edge.

Moreover, while coasting at speeds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph) in ECO PRO mode, the combustion engine can be switched off and fully decoupled. This coasting mode combines comfortable driving with optimum utilisation of the kinetic energy already generated. To avoid periods with the engine running at idle – at junctions or in traffic tailbacks, for example – the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is equipped with a hybrid start-stop function. Plus, the power electronics in the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 are linked up with the standard-fitted Navigation system Professional. This allows forward-looking analysis of the driving situation, enabling the drive components to be primed to deliver maximum efficiency (the effect may vary according to the quality of the available navigation data).

All the hybrid-specific components of the drive technology and energy management systems have been developed specially for use in the BMW ActiveHybrid 5. The result is an extremely well-rounded overall concept, which also provides a convincing demonstration of the BMW ActiveHybrid technology’s qualities out on the road. Needless to say, all of the new hybrid components are designed to last for the life of the vehicle.

Production at BMW Plant Dingolfing. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 will be produced at BMW Plant Dingolfing – the BMW Group’s largest production plant worldwide – alongside the other BMW 5 Series models, ensuring that it benefits from the same high standards of quality and production efficiency. The integration into the production process of BMW ActiveHybrid technology is underpinned by the intelligent combination of state-of-the-art automated process engineering and the skilled craftsmanship of specially trained employees.

Photos: BMW

(Jan 28, 2012)