ninemsn.com.au

BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics concept knocked journos and punters for six when revealed at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. Now, Wheels can confirm this high-tech hyper car will make it into low-volume production, in two versions.

In the bowels of BMW’s Munich HQ, engineers and designers are toiling away to bring Project 442 to life. For the 2011 Frankfurt show BMW is planning a close-to-production concept to gauge customer reaction before the real thing launches in 2012 or early 2013.

The first version, at this stage dubbed ‘i100 Active Hybrid’ (catchy, huh?), is a performance coupe even eco-weenies can embrace. The second is the M100 – a new-age supercar.

Both share the same basic architecture, which consists of two horizontally-connected structures. The upper structure, called the ‘Life Module’ (thank you, BMW marketing), is fashioned from carbonfibre and includes the passenger cell and body.

The lower ‘Drive Module’ structure is made from aluminium and comprises the chassis, with front and rear sub-frames bolted on.

Integrated into the lower structure are the suspension, engine, transmission, electric motors, battery package and fuel tank.

The i100 will run four electric motors (one at each wheel), boosted by a petrol engine driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The quartet of motors will develop a combined 81kW, powered by banks of new-generation lithium-ion batteries stacked vertically beneath the passenger cell and horizontally behind the firewall. The i100 will also offer up to 50km of pure-electric, zero-emissions driving.

In conjunction with the turbo four-cylinder petrol engine, BMW engineers are expecting a very healthy aggregate power output of approximately 225kW. Given a goal weight of 1250kg, the 0-100km/h target is just 5.5sec, with a combined fuel consumption of 3.5L/100km.

Project 442 isn’t just about hugging trees, however. The M100 variant, powered by a 335kW version of the next-gen M3’s twin-turbo, in-line petrol six, boosted by a bank of super-capacitors, is tipped to be the fastest M car ever.

Solely rear-drive, the M100 adopts compact super-capacitors (supercaps) that store a high-density electric charge. The touch of a button will deploy an additional 150kW to the rear wheels for maximum-attack launches or overtaking. The supercaps are recharged via regenerative braking.

Set to weigh in around 1150kg, the M100 should sprint from 0-100km/h in well under 4.0sec, while returning a combined fuel consumption figure of 6.5L/100km.

And BMW’s computer simulations predict that the M100 will theoretically be faster than the 911 Turbo and Audi R8 V10 around the Nurburgring. But ‘theoretically’, a panda on a tricycle could set a new ’Ring record, so we’ll have to wait at least two years before putting Bee Em’s claims to the test.

What is certain is that along with Porsche’s 918 Spyder, we are at the dawn of a new age of supercars. And the future looks bright, indeed