BMW X6, BMW X6M, Hybrids, Reports PHOTO GALLERY

At a time when automakers are presenting one hybrid after the other, BMW has is doing the exact opposite: the Bavarian company is killing the ActiveHybrid X6 SUV from its U.S. line-up. Dave Buchko, a spokesperson for BMW North America confirmed the news to enthusiast website Bimmerfile.

The full-hybrid variant of the X6 crossover was only just launched in 2009 as a 2010MY primarily targeting U.S. buyers, but sales on this side of the Atlantic proved to be poor.

The reason wasn't a lack of power: with a combined output of 480HP and a peak torque of 771.9 Nm (575 lb-ft) from its turbocharged V8 gasoline engine and two electric motors, the hybrid X6 could accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in a mere 5.4 sec.

No, the reason the X6 ActiveHybrid is waving good-bye to the American market is more pedantic: it is extremely pricey at US$88,900 and doesn't offer any significant gains in terms of fuel consumption as it tips the scales at 5,401 pounds (2,450 kg).

Apparently, most buyers of the X6 were more than willing to shell out the extra… six hundred bucks and opt for the US$89,500 550HP X6 M, even if it consumed 12% more gas the ActiveHybrid.

PHOTO GALLERY

BMW

The Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is a German manufacturer of automobiles ,motorcycles and engines . The headquarters of company located in Munich . The sharesof the company is in the DAX at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

BMW Announces Snow and Ice Training Courses, Celebrates 25 Years of AWD Models

Driving in the snow can be a lot of fun if you know what you're doing. But not everyone is an ace behind the wheel and even if they are, there's always room for improvement. Enter BMW's Winter Driving Experience event that offers special training courses all over Europe, in a variety of road conditions.

For starters there's the BMW Snow Intensive Training course in Sölden (Austria), where you can fine tune your braking and steering technique driving the new BMW X3, 5-Series and the M3, on both uphill and downhill routes.

After mastering the basics, you can switch to the BMW Snow Drift Training, also held in Sölden, where you can drift for a half a day in a 420 hp M3, yodeling all the way.

Finally, you can go to the Artic Circle and take part BMW's Ice Fascination Training, held at the famous Arjeplog (Sweden) test facility. M3s with spikes will be at your disposal as you'll try to hone your skills over specially prepared areas of ice. You will learn when to turn into a corner, how to counter-steer and stabilize a rear-wheel drive car. Or maybe not. Maybe you'll crash all day into the snow banks.

Either way, there's lots of fun to be had for four, five or six days, depending on what course you opt for and previous experience. For more information on bookings and prices, you can visit BMW's dedicated website at www.bmw-drivertraining.com.

Now, all this talk about snow and drifting brings us to the second item on our list: the 25th anniversary of all-wheel-drive, or xDrive, as BMW likes to call it.

It all started in 1985, when the Bavarian engineers fitted the E30 BMW 325iX with permanent all-wheel-drive.

Today, xDrive has an important place in the company's portfolio, as one in four BMWs sold are equipped with the AWD system .

Currently there are 45 models which benefit of the variable distribution of drive between the front and rear wheels, from the compact 3 Series all the way up to the luxurious 7 Series.

By Csaba Daradics

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