Inside Line publishes an interesting report tonight. According to BMW executive present at the 5 Series launch, the last year stunning Concept, Vision EfficientDynamics receives greenlight as a production car coming in 2013. The breaking news are not really….new, in the past, BMW acknowledged several times that a variant of the VED Concept will eventually make it into production.
The underpinnings of the car are already near production ready, including the hybrid drivetrain and the new 3-cylinder diesel engine. Clearly, several modifications to the exterior and interior design need to be made.
The power and performance of the VED are made possible by combining a fuel-efficient 1.5 liter 3-cylinder turbodiesel with one electric motor on each axle. The intelligent combination of these units, together with precisely controlled energy management, simultaneously enhances the dynamic performance and the efficiency of the car. Overall system output is 356 horsepower, and peak torque is 590 lb-ft.
According to the BMW executive, the total volume continues to be debated, but we should expect to see anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 units. As we mentioned above, the powertrain and other technologies will remain intact, but, quote: “there will be less of the synthetic glass and more solid structure added to the final design”.
Pushing the envelope even further, Inside Line was looking for a scoop to an M1 successor and if indeed, the VED could be considered one. The response was enigmatic, but interesting: “quite probably”.
Inside Line also learned that this coming summer, BMW will conduct some further real-world testing in southern France, in an attempt to score faster times than the previously reported 4.8 seconds.
And yes, the highly complicated and less appealing Vision EfficientDynamics name will change for sure.
Any guesses?
[Source: Inside Line ]
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/01/30/rumor ... ction-car/