Here's The 242bhp, 131mpg BMW 3-Series eDrive Plug-In Hybrid Prototype

Even though some manufacturers are throwing their weight behind hydrogen tech, the relentless wave of new hybrid cars doesn’t look to be slowing down. Just this week we drove the new Audi A3 e-Tron, we heard the news that hybrid Renault hot hatches could be on the way, and now this has appeared: a plug-in hybrid BMW 3-series.

It’s a prototype based on the upcoming face-lifted version of the mid-sized exec (hence the camo stuff at the front), previewing a production plug-in hybrid we’ll see next year. BMW already has a part-electric 3-series in the form of the ActiveHybrid 3, but this is the first time we’ve seen a plug-in version of the 3er.

It’s reasonably pokey, with a combined 242bhp and 295lb ft being sent to the rear courtesy of an electric motor and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. This should allow for a 0-62mph time of under six seconds. The 94bhp electric motor can run on its own in electric-only mode for 22 miles, and the combined claimed economy figure sits at 131mpg. Much of the electric tech is pinched straight from the i3 and i8, which bodes very well indeed.