When we think about BMW and electric vehicles, the i3 is likely the first thing that comes to mind for most people. But the i3 isn’t even the German automaker’s top seller when put up against 5 other plug-in vehicles in the US, all plug-in hybrids.
Hybrids are a tough sell in a world where we demand more than simply an electric motor supporting a helplessly antiquated internal combustion engine (ICE) move us along. So BMW had a thought. What if owning a 530e hybrid meant no extra cost? And the question we ask you is, would you own one?
In keeping with its stated “electrified vehicles” goal, BMW will be releasing a new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in early 2017, the BMW 530e iPerformance. The BMW 530e iPerformance is, as the name implies, an electrified 5 Series offering — one that will reportedly feature combined performance of 248 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Top model in the range of plug-in hybrids for the new BMW 5 Series featuring a straight six-cylinder petrol engine and four-wheel drive for a combination of maximum energy efficiency and dynamic performance. Extension of the BMW 5 Series to include five plug-in hybrid models.
The latest news from the sporty premium brand out of Munich is that it has released a plug-in hybrid version of its X2 “Sports Activity Coupe” (SAC), the BMW X2 xDrive25e, and updated the 5 Series, including the 530e and 530e xDrive plug-in hybrids. Plug-in hybrid heaven.
The German plug-in electric passenger vehicle market ended the year on fire, with registrations more than doubling in December, to 11,328 registrations.
The German plug-in electric vehicle market continued on the right track in August, having registered 8,121 units. Fully electric vehicles (BEVs) were up +104% year over year (YoY), while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) keep suffering (down 9%). The plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) share was 2.6% in the month, with BEVs alone hitting 1.6%. That kept the 2019 plug-in share at 2.6% (1.7% BEV).
The German plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) passenger car market ended the year dropping 10% in December, to 5,711 registrations, with fully electric cars continuing to expand (+12% YoY) while plug-in hybrid electrics couldn’t find a way out of their hole (-35% in December). Fully electrics (BEVs) now clearly outselling plugin hybrids (PHEVs) — 67% PEV segment share for BEVs in December, and well above the 2018 average (53%).
The German plug-in electric passenger car market was down 12% in September, to 4,626 registrations, with PHEVs stumbling 24% year over year (YoY). This was no doubt due to the pre-WLTP summer sales rush. Nonetheless, fully electric cars (BEVs) kept on growing (+5%), allowing full electrics to sell at the same level as PHEVs.
The German plug-in vehicle (PEV) passenger car market grew 23% in August, to 5,888 registrations, with BEVs growing slower (+13%) than PHEVs (+31%). In 2018, fully electrics saw their share drop slightly to 0.9% share, while plug-in hybrids remained stable at 1%, making the total PEV share now 1.9%.
