BMW and France's PSA Peugeot Citroën issued a press release this week stating that the two companies, the longtime partners in engine development, would begin developing hybrid technologies together. Bloggers jumped to the conclusion that the move is a sign of strength and shows a renewed commitment about electric drive vehicles. They immediately started guessing about which models would get hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The announcement is more accurately interpreted as a sign of weakness—a fearful response to falling way behind in the hybrid space.
BMW’s first hybrid scheduled to hit the market, the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, is moving closer to production. We have exclusive spy photos taken this morning, near BMW’s Spartenburg, SC manufacturing facility. The company’s test driver said the X6 hybrid vehicles are starting to roll off the production line and will be introduced at the end of this year.
