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BMW is using the Chengdu Motor Show in China to show off its latest iPerformance plugin hybrid model, this time, based on the X1 crossover.
The (deep breath) X1 xDrive25Le iPerformance uses basically the same drivetrain as in the recently-launched 2 Series Active Tourer 225xe. That means you get a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 135hp tied into a 95hp electric motor fed by a stack of rechargeable lithium ion batteries. The petrol motor drives the front wheels, while the electric motor powers the rears.
Peak torque is 385Nm and the electric motor can provide 165Nm of that all by itself from start-up. Fully charge the batteries and BMW claims it will go for 60km on pure electric power (at speeds of up to 120km/h), with a combined petrol and electric range of 630km - a number kept in check by the titchy 35-litre fuel tank.
BMW claims a 0-100km/h time of 7.4 seconds and combined fuel economy of just 1.8-litres per 100km, which works out at a staggering 156mpg. Based on personal experience with the 225xe, 50-60mpg is more likely in daily driving, unless your journeys are brief enough not to need to use the petrol engine. BMW hasn't provided a Co2 figure yet, but the 225xe manages 46g/km with the same drivetrain so most likely the final figure will be below 50g/km.
In Auto eDrive mode, the system will automatically revert to pure electric power below 80km/h and will only wake up the petrol unit for bursts of full acceleration, assuming there's sufficient charge in the batteries. As with most other plugin hybrids, you can also charge the batteries from the petrol engine as you drive, and opt to save some charge in the batteries for use at your destination.
Those batteries can be charged in a little more than three and a half hours from a 220v wall box, or a domestic supply. The batteries are warrantied for up to eight years.
This being the L model, designed specifically for the Chinese market, it has a longer wheelbase than standard, at 2.78 metres, and the rear seats can be slid back and forth by up to 130mm for maximum legroom or maximum luggage capacity (which stands at 445 litres).
While the X1 won't come to Europe or Ireland specifically in this long-wheelbase model, expect to see the plugin drivetrain offered, in pretty short order, in our standard-length X1.