BMW News

    Some people felt that BMW’s Concept Active Tourer, unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, was heresy. Its front-wheel-drive construction was a first for the German automaker. But Automobile notes that BMW has unveiled a new version called the Concept Active Tourer Outdoor, hinting that the crossover may be getting closer to production.

    Set to premiere at OutDoor Friedrichshafen, an outdoorsy trade fair in Germany later this month, the BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor is a premium compact crossover that focuses on an intuitive use of interior space. This concept, in eye-catching Gold Race Orange paint, has been tweaked to better carry bikes and other outdoor equipment behind the rear seat, despite the car’s compact dimensions of just 171.2 inches long and 72.1 inches wide. There is a special carrier system with rail-mounted brackets in the rear cargo area that can accommodate two bicycles with the front wheels removed.

    Powering the BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor is the same plug-in hybrid powertrain that we saw on the original show car in Paris. This drivetrain consists of a 1.5-liter, turbocharged, three-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack — total output is 190 hp. In all-electric mode, BMW estimates a range of approximately 20 miles, and the car can be charged from a standard electric socket.

    Speculations have hinted that this hatchback may come to fruition as a 1 Series GranTurismo, but there is no word on when this would happen. Still, with BMW’s new “i” electric sub-brand, all bets or off for BMW’s future forays into new territory, so keep an eye out for future products like this concept.––Paul Duchene