In the run-up to the international automobile trade show Auto Shanghai 2011, BMW Brilliance Automotive presented a new concept of a premium-segment plug-in hybrid sedan.

In collaboration with its joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. BMW Group has initiated the step towards creating the new energy vehicle for China. The prototype is based on the long wheelbase version of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, developed exclusively for the Chinese automobile market and produced at the Shenyang site.

It is the first vehicle in its segment in China to provide a fully fledged combination of exclusive style and environmental awareness. Its drive parallel hybrid drive set-up combines a combustion engine featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with an electrical motor.

The prototype of a plug-in hybrid sedan is part of the BMW Group's electromobility strategy for China. The company stated that the series production of the automobile is to start in China in 2013.

The parallel hybrid set-up consists of a 160 kW combustion engine featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and an electrical motor with a maximum output of 70 kW, thereby ensuring characteristic BMW driving dynamics and ground-breaking efficiency. The electrical motor draws its energy from a high-voltage battery housed in the luggage compartment which can be charged via the mains power supply.