Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Hybrid Bimmer

BMW is joining the hybrid bandwagon exploited
by its Japanese rivals

BMW Will Unveil Z4 Coupe and Hybrid X3 at Frankfurt Show


The car will be officially a concept, but BMW will hurry it into production as a rival to the new Porsche Cayman S, a coupe version of the Boxster. Like its predecessor, the Z3-based M Coupe, it will be built at BMW's Spartanburg factory in the South Carolina. But unlike the boxy M Coupe, the Z4 coupe will be a more conventional fastback coupe, with styling similar to the Xcoupe concept of a couple of years ago.

The Z4 Coupe will be powered by BMW's 255-horsepower, 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder gasoline engine. There also will be an M version with a 3.2-liter inline six from the M3, upgraded to 360 hp.

At Frankfurt, BMW will also show a hybrid concept based on the X3 SUV. This will have new, advanced battery technology using high-performance capacitors, or "Syncaps," which can store and release high amounts of power quickly.

The Syncaps take up less space than regular batteries. BMW first showed the system in 2004 in an X5 "Efficient Dynamics" concept car.

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