We’ve brought you plenty of news on BMW‘s upcoming iteration of its bread-and-butter 3-Series, but our spies have just snagged what they believe to be an early prototype of the hybrid version that will join the recently announced ActiveHybrid 5 and the already available ActiveHybrid X6 and 7.
While the prototype model captured on the ‘Ring looks pretty much stock, our man with the long lens tells us that it features the mandatory hybrid stickers to warn emergency crews about the car’s electric operating system in the event of an accident.
The Bavarian automaker confirmed the availability of “hybrid versions of the next 3-Series” sedan codenamed F30 during a press conference in late 2010.
However, BMW did not release any information regarding the specifics of the hybrid powertrain(s). There’s a possibility that BMW may offer more than one hybrid choices for buyers of the new 3-Series, using both four- and six-cylinder internal combustion engines.
If that’s the case, then the ActiveHybrid 5’s powertrain should be among one of the options. In the 5-series, the hybrid system combines BMW’s 3.0-liter turbocharged-six with an electric drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, for a total system output of 335-horses and up to 330 lb-ft.
Expect the first hybrid version of the new F30 3-Series to make its debut about a year after the regular production model in 2012.
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