BMW To Show Micro-Hybrid M5, Plug-In 5-Series Cars at Shanghai

BMW To Show Micro-Hybrid M5, Plug-In 5-Series Cars at Shanghai

BMW says its next-generation M5 will have a stop-start system that will help boost fuel economy of the gas-swilling sports sedan by 25 percent, giving the automaker one to chalk up in the “you-take-your-victories-where-you-can” department.

BMW, which will unveil a concept version of the car at Auto Shanghai later this month, said the M5 will have a so-called micro-hybrid “Auto Start Stop function” that will shut down the engine when the car is stopped and restart the motor when the brake pedal is released. The car will also have a seven-speed transmission mated to a V-8 twin-turbo engine instead of the previous generation’s V-10 engine with a six-speed transmission.

Between the engine and transmission improvements and the inclusion of micro-hybrid technology, the M5’s fuel efficiency will be about 25 percent better than the prior version. The 2010 M5, which  delivered 500 horsepower, got and EPA-rated 17 miles per gallon highway and 11 miles per gallon city., so the micro-hybrid version should come it at around 21 mpg highway and 14 mpg city.

BMW is using its 5-Series sedans at the Shanghai show to promote its increased focus on fuel efficiency. In addition to the M5 concept, BMW will unveil a prototype of a 5-Series plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV). That car’s parallel hybrid powertrain pairs a 215-horsepower turbocharged gas engine with a 94-horsepower electric motor.

The PHEV, which will be developed specifically for China, will have an electric-only range of almost 50 miles and an additional 250-mile range with the gas-powered engine.

BMW had a fleetwide, EPA-rated fuel economy of 22.3 miles per gallon for the 2010 model-year, equal to the average of the 14 largest automakers’ U.S. light-duty vehicles.

Danny King, Contributor

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