Car brand BMW will unveil its Vision EfficientDynamics concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The hybrid-engined car features 2+2 seating, polycarbonate windows and gull-wing doors.

It has an anticipated top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) and can reach 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.

Fuel consumption is 3.76 litres per 100 kilometre.

See our story from June 2008 about BMW's GINA Light Visionary Model.

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Here's some info from BMW:

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BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics.

Description in Brief.

Character:

* High-performance concept study with BMW ActiveHybrid technology visualising the dynamic performance typical of a BMW against the backdrop of future demands in sustained mobility. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics as a symbol for the future of Sheer Driving Pleasure in harmony with trend-setting efficiency.

* Development aim: The performance of a BMW M Car and a highly emotional character combined with the fuel economy and emission management of a modern small car in the premium class. As a result, this unique sports car offers the most consistent rendition of the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy.

* Innovative approach in the context of BMW EfficientDynamics: The exceedingly good balance of CO2 emission management and driving pleasure results from a revolutionary vehicle concept developed all in one from the ground up, achieving a new level of efficiency combined with a unique driving experience.

* The overall result goes far beyond the sum total of the individual features and components in this concept car. BMW Vision Effi cientDynamics offers a realistic impression of the unique potential of BMW ActiveHybrid technology and the great innovative thrust of BMW EfficientDynamics

Technology:

* Offering a full-hybrid concept, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car is powered by a three-cylinder turbodiesel and two electric motors. Overall system output is 262 kW/356 hp, maximum torque 800 Newton-metres/590 lb-ft. All-wheel drive featuring an electric motor on both the front and rear axle.

* Anticipated performance: Acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, top speed 250 km/h (155 mph) (electronically limited), fuel consumption in the EU test cycle 3.76 litres/100 km (equal to 75.1 mph imp), CO2 emissions 99 grams/kilometre.

* As a plug-in hybrid, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is able to cover the entire fuel consumption drive cycle under electric power alone. Taking the sources of energy used for generating the electric power consumed into account (EU electricity mix), this reduces the CO2 emission rating to just 50 grams per kilometre.

* Electric power is generated without the slightest increase in fuel consumption through a particularly efficient concept of Brake Energy Regeneration. Energy is stored in 98 lithium polymer cells. The car is able to cover a distance of approximately 50 km/31 miles in the electric mode alone. Aerodynamics developed with know-how from Formula 1. C X drag coefficient optimised to just 0.22. Forward-looking energy management uses the maximum potential available in each case to minimise fuel consumption.

Design:

* Technology-oriented body design as a clear expression of consistent light-weight technology and aerodynamic quality. Design language typical of the brand, setting clear signals in terms of sporting performance and optimum efficiency.

* The 2+2-seater concept combines dynamic performance and supreme efficiency with an enhanced level of all-round function. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics symbolises BMW’s commitment to offer an unprecedented driving experience for up to four occupants.

* BMW Vision EfficientDynamics comes with gullwing doors opening up to the side. Innovative, weight-optimised door kinematics makes entering the car at both front and rear convenient and very easy.

* The interior of this unique 2+2-seater intentionally demonstrates the very latest in modern technology. At the same time the use of natural materials underlines BMW’s strategy of sustainability borne out through this concept car.

* The roof and door inserts made of polycarbonate glass automatically become darker as a function of incoming light.

BMW ActiveHybrid – a New Path to Thrilling Dynamics: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics.

BMW sees technical innovations reducing both emissions and fuel consumption as an elementary part of the brand’s product strategy, just like vehicle concepts enhancing the Sheer Driving Pleasure so typical of BMW as a lasting, sustained experience.

Now the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car clearly demonstrates that these objectives expressed through the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy are fully compatible with the most demanding reduction in fuel consumption and emissions complying in full with future requirements.

Conceived as a 2+2-seater with plug-in full-hybrid technology, this unique car is able to combine the performance of a BMW M Car with a standard of fuel economy and emission management exceeding even the current level achieved by the latest small cars in the market.

This outstanding result is made possible by the consistent integration of BMW ActiveHybrid components, their combination with an extremely economical combustion engine, and the outstanding aerodynamic qualities of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the result of an all-inclusive development process starting from a clean sheet of paper. This ensures an improvement of both effi ciency and driving pleasure far exceeding the sum total of all individual components and technologies, and is also borne out in the very emotional design of this unique concept car. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is therefore an unprecedented sports car offering fascinating perspectives for the future of Sheer Driving Pleasure combined in full harmony with maximum efficiency.

Presenting this unique concept car, BMW is once again demonstrating the company’s outstanding competence in the development of cutting-edge drive systems. Indeed, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the most comprehensive implementation of the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy seen so far. The drive units provide a top speed limited electronically of 250 km/h or 155 mph, with acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is 3.76 litres/100 kilometres, equal to 75.1 mpg imp, and the CO2 emission rating is 99 grams per kilometre.

CO2 emission management is even more outstanding when driving in the all-electric mode after charging the battery from a plug-in source: Taking all emissions in the generation of electricity into account, as prescribed by the EU mix, the car’s emission rating in this case is just 50 grams per kilometre.

Through this unique balance of driving pleasure and fuel economy the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car clearly demonstrates the potential of BMW ActiveHybrid technology making its world debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and BMW ActiveHybrid 7 production models.

This truly impressive power and performance is made possible by combining a particularly fuel-efficient three-cylinder turbodiesel with one electric motor each on the front and rear axle. The intelligent combination of these three power units and the energy they develop, together with precisely controlled energy management, serves to enhance both the dynamic performance and the all-round efficiency of the car, using the full potential of BMW ActiveHybrid to reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to the greatest possible extent. Overall system output is 262 kW/356 hp, peak torque is 800 Newton-metres/590 lb-ft.

The special arrangement of the three power units allows all-wheel drive also available in the all-electric mode. The result is minimum power loss and at the same time harmonious transmission of the power available under all conditions.

In its design, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics for the first time conveys the dynamic look so typical of a BMW sports car to a hybrid vehicle. Developed with know-how from Formula 1, the body of this unique sports car is an expression of intelligent lightweight technology and supreme aerodynamic efficiency. And in the design of the interior, the focus was likewise on both the fascinating driving experience and, in particular, on transparent, hands-on technology and maximum reduction of weight.

Emotional design through sculptural shapes and layering technology.

Reflecting the innovative drive concept of this unique car, the design of BMW Vision EfficientDynamics likewise takes a new approach in combining functional progress with a most powerful emotional impact.

This has been achieved through the close cooperation of BMW’s Design and Technical Development Divisions starting at an early point and continuing consistently throughout the entire development process. The result is a brand-new vehicle architecture with the drive components as well as the body and interior elements perfectly coordinated and matched to one another with maximum flexibility and individual style. A fully integrated design philosophy also provided new options in using harmonised design principles connecting the exterior and the interior and providing an interacting effect between the two areas.

Sculptural design language giving BMW Vision EfficientDynamics a fully harmonised, complete look ensures the proportions so typical of a BMW sports car. The front, side, rear and roof areas, for example, fl ow smoothly into one another. Dynamically contoured surfaces and shapes, in turn, create highly attractive light and shade effects accentuating the light and sporting character of the car in a most emotional manner.

Layering technology developed by the BMW Group Design Division acts as the fundamental guideline in designing the exterior and interior. Applied for the fi rst time in exterior design, this technology layers one surface on top of the other, creating very smooth seams and joints to reduce the number of components and, accordingly, the weight of the car. As a result, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics meets the most demanding aerodynamic requirements without using any additional body elements, simply through the structure of the surfaces optimised for a smooth flow of air.

Interior: innovative lightweight construction and unprecedented orientation to the driver.

In the design of the interior, innovative layering technology provides an unprecedented symbiosis of function and stylish shapes intentionally reduced to a minimum, consistently implementing and visualising the lightweight principle also inside the car.

Specifi ccomponents such as the central air vent not only serving to enhance motoring comfort but also acting as part of the cockpit, perform several functions in one. This multi-functionality is then presented visibly within the car, the use of particularly sophisticated materials providing a highly attractive combination of innovation in technology and quality clear to the eye and the touch of the surface.

This interaction of lightweight construction and individual well-being also comes out clearly in the design of the controls and switches, with a leather band, for example, running round the aluminium gear selector lever on the centre console.

Materials combining lightweight technology and all the qualities required are also to be admired all round the cockpit of BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, giving the car an unusually generous feeling of space for a 2+2-seater. The body-contoured seats, for example, are made up of a kevlar shell, a backbone structure, and seat padding with personalised fillings. Clearly, this combination alone ensures supreme comfort on minimum weight.

The driver’s and front passenger’s seats are connected firmly to the centre console to form a joint interior “landscape”, while the rear seats anchored on the floor would appear to be hovering in space. Natural materials and light colours on the seat upholstery and all interior linings underline the light, sophisticated and sustainability-oriented atmosphere within the passenger compartment.

The instrument panel is deliberately padded only where technical components have to be appropriately covered, thus making an important contribution to passenger safety in the event of a collision. The instrument cluster played a fundamental role right from the start in the design process, serving as the starting point for all surfaces within the interior and thus creating a particularly powerful rendition of that driver orientation so typical of BMW.

Innovative light technology: providing clear signals to the outside and offering soothing ambient illumination inside in a unique symbiosis. LED lights at both the front and rear end of BMW Vision EfficientDynamics provide an innovative combination of the symbols so typical of the brand and clear design language oriented towards trendsetting technology. The distinctive look of the dual round headlights characteristic of a BMW is emphasised in particular by the use of LED technology. The rear lights are integrated also in their function into the design of the entire rear section, forming part of the rear air deflector and thus merging completely into the rear contour.

Extremely flat and compact, the rear lights are made up of innovative LED units forming a smooth and consistent red surface when not in use. Only when used do the respective light chambers take on their appropriate colour such as yellow on the direction indicators.

This innovative light technology also provides an intense symbiosis of the exterior and interior, again promoting and further refining the driving experience. This is also why the ambient illumination of the interior comes with new features and qualities, the light sources within the passenger compartment being fed from the positioning lights at the side, the rear lights and the brake lights, thus changing the atmosphere created by the lights within the car as a function of driving conditions.

The optical impression conveyed by BMW Vision EfficientDynamics also results in other areas from the symbiosis of the exterior and interior, eliminating the conventional barriers between the two. The lines within the interior, for example, continue on to the innovative design of the engine compartment lid, while in its shape the third brake light positioned higher up on the car follows the structure of the glass roof and tapers to the outside where the roofl ine moves down gently to the rear.

Gullwing doors for convenient access to all seats.

The doors on BMW Vision Effi cientDynamics open up like gullwings, turning on pivots in the front roof column at the level of the side direction indicators. Since the car has no B-pillars, the large door cutouts ensure convenient entry also to the rear seats. The pivots on the doors also provide the base for the exterior mirrors, thus forming an ideal combination of function and aesthetic design.

The structure of the doors is also characterised by several layers of materials on top of one another and the optical and functional symbiosis of the interior and exterior this technology is able to offer. Made up of three layers, the overall structure comprises the outer glass surface, an interim load-bearing layer, and the interior cover with its particularly smooth shapes and fl owing forms clearly visible to the passengers, layering technology again, therefore, opening up new perspectives.

The large glass surfaces extending far down on the body also provide a strong optical impression of the low seating position close to the road. And at the same time a stable sidebar ensures the body stiffness and crash safety naturally required on every vehicle. Flowing to the inside at its central point, this safety element also serves as an armrest.

This interplay of the three layers also helping to minimise the weight of the car continues on the trim bar running along the door and extending out of the armrest, finally fl owing into the outer door opener on its path from inside to outside.