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The 2019 London Motor Show starts today and as always BMW will be attending to display their wide range of vehicles. Here at Williams Group, we’re taking the opportunity to look back at our trip to the Geneva International Motor Show earlier this year.
Electric and hybrid technology was the clear theme across the Geneva International Motor Show, with all manufactures that attended displaying their latest vehicles. BMW put out a strong line up of their all new Plug-In Hybrid Cars (PHEV) that introduced customers to new technologies that will feature across the brand.
However BMW aren’t new to this market. Both the 5 Series and 2 Series Active Tourer both have a PHEV option and who can forget the famous i3 and i8 electric vehicles?
The big news coming from Geneva is that BMW are planning to drastically expand and improve their offering. By 2025, BMW are aiming to have a total of 25 PHEVs available to customers. This exciting plan is already starting to take shape with the introduction of the new BMW X3 PHEV, BMW 7 Series PHEV, and BMW 3 Series PHEV.
The BMW X3 Hybrid is expected to be a very popular choice. Due to go into production in December this year, it’ll be on sale alongside its petrol and diesel engine counterparts. The PHEV BMW X3 xDrive30e will use a four-cylinder turbo petrol engine matched to an electric motor. Combined they will have an output of 248bhp, and an additional 40bhp is available on demand from the electric motor on a temporary basis. This will help the all-wheel-drive BMW X3 PHEV accelerate from 0 -62mph in just 6.5 seconds.
Not only will it be capable of doing 31 miles on an all-electric run, this new electric BMW X3 will also return a favorable 117mpg on a combined cycle. Better still, the load capacity of the X3 isn’t hampered by the large batteries required to power the motors. They are placed below the rear seat bench, meaning the load space remains unchanged with a 450-litre boot.
The BMW 745e also debuted at the Geneva International Motor Show. The new BMW 7 Series has recently been heavily revised and now focuses on fusing luxury with performance. When it comes to the revised PHEV offering, the first major change over the previous generation (the BMW 740e) is that the old four-cylinder engine has now been swapped out for a new six-cylinder unit. In addition the Lithium Ion battery pack stored beneath the rear seats may physically be no larger than before but it’s now a more powerful 12kWh version, meaning the car is now capable of an electric-only range of 36 miles.
Out of all the PHEV vehicles on show, the one that garnered the most consistent attention was the upcoming BMW 330e PHEV. There is no doubt that it will be the best-selling hybrid in the BMW range when it hits retail centre floors later this year.
At first glance you might not be able to identify it as the PHEV over the standard BMW 3 Series. The only clues on the outside are the additional flap on the front left wing hiding the charger point and the 330e lettering on the boot lid. Gone is the “e” lettering on the C-Pillar and blue borders on the BMW logo in the middle of the wheels.
Powered by a 184bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that is matched to an electric motor that produces a further 68bhp, the BMW 330e has a combined power output of 252bhp. There is an over-boost function that gives an additional 41bhp on a temporary basis and this will help the BMW 330e PHEV sprint from 0-62mph is 6.0 seconds.
To find out more, you can register your interest with one of our sales teams at any of our retail centres in Bolton, Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport or Rochdale.
There is a BMW for everyone in the range. Explore the range and take a look at our offers at Williams Group.
