BMW unveiled a range of new cars at this year IAA Frankfurt Motorshow. The Bavarian based manufacturer has really been pushing the envelope of technology in recent years and this was strongly reflected in the line up of cars they had on show that gave visitors an insight into what we can expect to see in the months and years to come.

The highlight of the stand was the outrageously efficient and very good looking i8, for once appearing not in concept form, but road ready looking impressively similar to the ground braking concept seen at both the 2009 and 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show. The i8 is intended as a sports car and provides a forward-looking, revolutionary interpretation of BMW’s driving experience that rarely fails to disappoint. It is a 2+2-seater with a design that BMW refer to as LifeDrive architecture. It gets a “life module” passenger cell made from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), as is the fashion of recent sports car. Total weight is just 1,490 kg, very impressive given the plug-in hybrid architecture. Under the hood there’s a new three-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. From 1.5 litres, the i8 manages an output of 231 hp, a maximum torque of 320 Nm and rear wheel drive. You can read the full i8 report and see the full gallery here.

Another eco-friendly vehicle that BMW revealed was, like the i8, built to be healthy for the worlds environment. The Concept X5 eDrive is based on the hugely popular and successful X5 “Sports Activity Vehicle”. The BMW Concept X5 eDrive receives a four-cylinder, TwinPower turbocharged petrol engine mated to an additional 94 hp electric motor. That electric engine is then mated to a lithium-ion battery. As a result of these systems, BMW claims that the BMW Concept X5 eDrive can achieve up to 74mph and run for up to 19 miles solely on battery power. What’s more, the BMW Concept X5 eDrive can hit 100km/h in less than 7 seconds. View the full report here

The third generation of BMW X5 was also unveiled and we had the chance to roadtest the class leading SUV. Alongside the usual engines and various trim-levels BMW released to very special versions of the car for the rich and famous. The X5 Security and X5 Security Plus. These two cars look perfectly ordinary but provide the occupants with the best possible protection in the unlikely event of attack. Read more about the special spec cars here.

A Concept we have seen at a number of shows before was also on the BMW stand. The Active Tourer, again a hybird, is set to be the first modern front wheel drive due to be produced by the German company. Details on the car are relatively scarce as it is still a car that seems distant from production. We will have more on the Active Tourer in the near future so stay tuned!

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