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BMW says X5 xDrive40e PHEV will get 55 MPGe

This is one vehicle that Sammy Hagar can actually drive 55. Miles on the equivalent of a gallon of gas, that is. BMW has starting talking about details of its first-ever production plug-in hybrid CUV, and the latest are centered on the model's projected miles per gallon-equivalent figure. Bimmer is now saying the its X5 xDrive40e PHEV will get a robust 55 MPGe on the US EPA scale (on the European scale, the vehicle's expected 77 or 78 grams of CO2 per kilometer would translate to around 70 mpg). The model, which pairs 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, will be able to go as far as 13 miles on electricity alone, and also hit 75 miles per hour using just the battery. BMW first unveiled the model at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013. The CUV, which will have full-time all-wheel drive, will have some guts, too. The model will deliver 308 horsepower, including 111 from the electric motor alone. As a result, the X5 xDrive40e will be able to scoot from 0-60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds. Not exactly Tesla Model S quick, but peppy nevertheless. US and European sales for the model-year 2016 version will start this fall. The model will be produced at the company's plant in Spartanburg, SC. Take a look at BMW's press release below. Show full PR text The BMW X5 xDrive40e Launches the Next Chapter of EfficientDynamics with its First Ever Plug-in Hybrid Sports Activity Vehicle The new BMW X5 xDrive40e. The first plug-in hybrid BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Up to 13 miles of zero-tailpipe-emission pure electric driving Preliminary fuel economy estimates up to 55 MPGe 0-60 mph in just 6.5 seconds Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – March 17, 2015 ... The BMW X5 xDrive40e, the company's first plug-in hybrid Sports Activity Vehicle, charts the next chapter of BMW's ongoing EfficientDynamics initiative. Benefitting from the groundbreaking work by BMW i on electromobility, the X5 xDrive40e combines the company's award-winning 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, powered by a lithium-ion battery, integrated into its 8-speed automatic transmission. This newest BMW SAV can travel approximately 13 miles on pure electric power, ideally suited to short commutes and quick trips around town. Working in concert, the gasoline engine and electric motor puts out 308 horsepower and produces 332 lb-ft, enough to propel the X5 xDrive40e from 0-60mph in just 6.5 seconds.

Trump turns his unpredictable ire towards German carmakers

President-elect Donald Trump likes to be unpredictable. During the election, he used the phrase in reference to foreign policy and dealing with terrorism. But he's using the same tactic with the automotive industry, making broad statements that send manufacturers into emergency-response mode. The latest salvo comes from an interview with Germany's Bild, where Trump threatened a 35-percent import tax on German manufacturers. ( Reuters covers the highlights in English here.) "If you want to build cars in the world, then I wish you all the best. You can build cars for the United States, but for every car that comes to the USA, you will pay 35 percent tax," Trump said. Trump's comments seem to be directed at manufacturing in Mexico, although it's unclear if the comments refer to any import from a German automaker or just those from south of the border. BMW is building a $1-billion plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, where it plans to assemble the 3 Series. Mercedes-Benz is joining up with Nissan to build a new facility in Aguascalientes near the Japanese company's existing factory. And Volkswagen recently expanded its massive footprint in Puebla to build the new Tiguan as well as a separate factory for the Audi Q5. Reuters states that Trump thinks there's not enough reciprocity between Germany and the United States, as Germans don't buy Chevrolets at the rate American buy Mercedes-Benz Vehicles. At present, only the Corvette and Camaro are sold in Germany. The German subsidiary of Chevrolet parent General Motors, Opel, is the fifth-ranked automaker in the European Union, ahead of FCA but trailing Ford, VW, and both French auto companies. In response to Trump, Germany's deputy chancellor (Chancellor Angela Merkel is shown above) and minister for the economy, Sigmar Gabriel, did not mince words. As reported by The Guardian, Gabriel said "The US car industry would have a bad awakening if all the supply parts that aren't being built in the US were to suddenly come with a 35% tariff. I believe it would make the US car industry weaker, worse and above all more expensive." Asked what it would take for Germans to buy more American vehicles, he said "Build better cars." Gabiel also noted that BMW's largest plant is already in the US. The Spartanburg, SC plant exports about 65 percent of its 400,000-unit annual production to foreign markets and directly employs 8,000 workers according to BMW.

2017 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive is an M7 by any other name

Have you been waiting for BMW to release a more potent version of the new 7 Series? Try 600 horsepower on for size and forget all about the famous M badge. The new flagship performance sedan from Munich is the 2017 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive. Alpina is Bimmer's tuner of choice, and it designs customized features to integrate precisely with the factory build. The B7's 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 is massaged to deliver a nice, round 600 horsepower, and a torque figure nearly as impressive at 590 pound-feet available from just 3,000 rpm. All that muscle is channeled through an eight-speed automatic to all four wheels (as you might have guessed from the new xDrive handle). The result is an Autobahn-blitzing 0-60 time quoted at just 3.6 seconds – 0.8 seconds quicker than its predecessor – and a top speed estimated at 193 miles per hour. Those would have been considered supercar figures not that long ago, but are delivered here in a luxury sedan as big as they come. They also stand up pretty well to the forced-induction eight-cylinder competition in the Audi S8 Plus, Jaguar XJR, Maserati Quattroporte GTS, and Mercedes-AMG S63. The Audi produces a bit more power but less torque, the Mercedes does the opposite, and the Jaguar and Maserati are left in the dust. Only the S8 Plus dares claim a quicker 0-60 time, and even then it's only said to be a tenth quicker. (The Mercedes-AMG S65 boasts much higher output from its V12, but without an all-wheel drive system capable of handling all its muscle, it's a fair bit slower off the line.) Keeping all that momentum under control is an air suspension with adaptive dampers, active roll bars, and four-wheel steering. It's all mounted to 20-inch wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber and packing oversized brakes measuring 15.5 inches at the front (with four-piston fixed calipers) and 14.5 inches (with floating calipers) at the back. Of course it also benefits from all the advancements that the Bavarian automaker developed for the latest 7 Series, but takes things a step further with a specific aero kit and an interior decked out in even more upscale leather and trim. The finished product may not wear an M7 badge as so many have called for from BMW's flagship sedan series over the years. But the Alpina name carries a cachet all its own and has for the past 50 years now – which is a few years longer than BMW M GmbH has been around.