BMW Concept X6 unveiled

The IAA Frankfurt marks the unveiling of the BMW Concept X6 with ActiveHybrid technology and the global debuts of the new 1 Series Coupé and revised 6 Series, led by the all new 635d.

Offering an insight into the possible design of the forthcoming BMW X6, the Concept X6 opens up another untapped market segment, the Sports Activity Coupé. The Concept X6 also showcases ActiveHybrid, the world's most advanced hybrid technology and an integral facet of BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy.

BMW ActiveHybrid - the world's most advanced hybrid technology

The introduction of BMW's ActiveHybrid technology marks the latest landmark in BMW's development of hybrid technologies. BMW started work on electric drivetrain research with the BMW E1 in the late 1980s and has been working on hybrid technology and its various options for more than 15 years. Most recently, hybrid technology has been introduced as an integral part of the BMW EfficientDynamics programme.


Working alongside Global Hybrid Cooperation partners, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, the BMW ActiveHybrid combines two compact, high-performance electric motors connected to one another by three planetary gear sets, a fixed-transmission ratio gearbox and a high-performance battery to deliver benefits over low and high speed ranges. The result is a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent compared with a comparable BMW running on a combustion engine alone.

The two-mode active transmission is based on an ECVT (Electrical Continuously Variable Transmission). The two operating modes, optimised for low and high speeds, are supplemented by fixed transmission ratios. The two power-split ECVT sections allow the drivetrain to run at continuously variable speeds and ensure full, highly-efficient hybrid functions throughout the entire operating range of the car.

The BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid can be driven on electric power only, on the combustion engine alone, or with a combination of both power units. Depending on driving conditions, the electric motors can also be used for both accelerating and regenerative braking. In the case of brake regeneration, the brake forces, created when coasting and when applying the brakes, supply power to the high-voltage energy storage unit to provide an increase in electric power. A similar philosophy has already been seen in BMW's Brake Energy Regeneration systems in almost all of today's BMW model ranges.

When the driver needs all available performance to accelerate, one of the two electric motors acts as a generator, converting some of the engine's power into electrical current that is subsequently fed to the battery or the second electric motor. The second electric motor then converts the power coming from the first electric motor or from the battery back into mechanical power for the output drive shaft on the transmission.

The BMW Concept X6 - a host of firsts

The new BMW Concept X6 plays host to a plethora of world firsts - the world's first Sports Activity Coupé, the first car with BMW ActiveHybrid technology and the first car to be fitted with Dynamic Performance Control.

Twinned with BMW's benchmark xDrive four-wheel drive system, Dynamic Performance Control spreads drive forces as required in all situations, feeding a varying degree of power when required to the two wheels at the rear.

Dynamic Performance Control is the only system of its kind in the world able to provide its stabilising effect both under power and with the engine on overrun. As soon as the system detects possible over- or understeer of the vehicle, for example in a bend, it will vary the distribution of drive forces between the wheels for perfect stability, dynamic traction, and forward motion. This is achieved by transferring additional wheel speed to the outer rear wheel to push the car round the corner rather than applying brake force to the inner wheels as currently happens with traditional stability control systems. In the process, Dynamic Performance Control improves driving stability at all speeds, not only ensuring maximum traction when pulling away and precise control when entering a bend, but also higher levels of lateral acceleration and optimum directional stability when accelerating out of the bend.

The BMW Concept X6 - a host of firsts

The BMW Concept X6 is the first car in the world to combine the elegant, flowing lines of a Coupé with the safety and convenience of the command driving position in a 4x4. Unashamedly bold in its styling, the Concept X6 takes a number of classic BMW design cues - kidney grilles, double headlamps, Hofmeister kink - and combines them in a dramatic four-door Coupé form.

From the front, large air intakes positioned on the outer reaches of the front bumper highlight the cooling requirements of the engine and are split horizontally by chrome-coloured bars that incorporate the round fog lamps. The contour of the central air intake, in addition, visually widens the car.

The dual round headlights, with their sharply cut design at the top, express a particularly intense and focused look. As a result, the frontal design of the car appears very focused on the road ahead. The outer contours of the headlights, in turn, extend far into the front wings, making the front overhang visually shorter.

From the side, the unique design and proportions of the Concept X6 are immediately apparent. Its tapering roofline and long rear body overhang give the car a stretched coupé silhouette.

The roofline reaches its highest point directly behind the steering wheel and its shape is complemented by the one-piece chrome window surrounds and the absence of door pillars. On the side panels, a contour line extends from front to rear at the level of the door handles and emphasises the dynamic wedge shape of the car. It is further accentuated by the increasing distance between the shoulder and sill lines towards the rear end extending all the way to the rear lights. A second character line runs parallel to the side-sills, half-way between the contour and the sill-line. This second character line ends at the large, muscular wheel arches that emphasise the car's robustness.

The exterior mirrors on the BMW Concept X6 are of a similarly innovative design. Made of two pieces with the lower piece finished in body colour, a strip of lights is mounted in between the two pieces. This illumination supplements the corona ring day-running lights, now a trademark of BMW design. The Concept X6 also features uniquely-styled 21-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels that fill the nearly-square profile wheel arches.