BMW Plans Radical Change in New-Product Development

BMW AG is preparing to launch a dramatically new approach to creating future vehicles that could turn virtually all but its smallest models into all-wheel-drive, plug-in hybrids, according to Autocar.

The British enthusiast magazine says these BMW cars will employ a mix of steel, aluminum and composites to reduce structural weight. It says the first of these mixed-materials cars will debut this summer when BMW unveils its redesigned 7 Series large sedan.

Most BMWs a decade from now will be propelled primarily by two electric motors, according to the report. They will be equipped with relatively small internal combustion engines designed to function about 90% of the time as range-extending electric generators.

One of the system's electric motors will drive the rear axle. The second will power the front wheels. A relatively simple, front-mounted piston engine will operate as a generator to charge a large battery under the vehicle's floor. Autocar says the engine also will help power the front wheels at vehicle speeds above about 50 mph.

BMW will roll out the new powertrain in its high-volume 3 Series cars in two steps. First up will be the relatively conventional eDrive plug-in system due in 2016. The layout will include a 180-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine, a 95-hp electric motor and 7.6-kWh battery mounted above the rear axle.

That configuration will be replaced in 2022 with a naturally aspirated piston engine and two electric motors, according to Autocar. It says the layout will give the car all-wheel-drive capabilities and better dynamic balance than today's rear-drive cars.

BMW has said the advanced system and its battery pack can be scaled up for use in most of the company's models, including the Rolls-Royce Phantom.