The primary mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid automobile bought in america was the 2000 Honda Perception, adopted a yr later by the Toyota Prius. Some producers had been faster to develop (or license) hybrid know-how than others, and BMW first acquired into that sport right here with a hybridized 7 Sequence: the ActiveHybrid 7, which debuted as a 2011 mannequin. This is an instance of a type of extraordinarily uncommon beasts, present in a Denver self-service boneyard just lately.
I have been making an effort to doc the primary decade or so of U.S.-market hybrids by looking for them out throughout my junkyard travels, and I’ve handle to unearth discarded examples of such evolutionary-dead-end hybrid rarities as a 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid, a 2007 Saturn Vue Inexperienced Line and a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. These seldom-seen automobiles are a dime a dozen subsequent to a V8-powered BMW ActiveHybrid 7, although.
From the time of the Active7’s American introduction in late 2010 by the primary 9 months of 2012, whole gross sales got here to precisely 657 automobiles. The Blue Water Metallic paint, which is worn by right now’s Junkyard Gem, was accessible solely on the ActiveHybrid 7.
For the 2013 mannequin yr, the ActiveHybrid 7 misplaced the large 4.4-liter V8 and switched to the 4.0-liter straight-six from the 740i. Why?
BMW’s entrepreneurs pitched the 750i/750Li ActiveHybrids in a a lot totally different method than did their rivals, with the brochure of the 2012 mannequin proclaiming, “Neglect every little thing you beforehand thought of hybrids: that they’re gradual, unexciting autos that sacrifice efficiency, house and luxurious within the identify of frugality.” And so they weren’t kidding; this automobile was a manufacturing unit sizzling rod that used its electrical motor to spice up general energy to 455 horsepower and 515 pound-feet.
The issue was that gasoline financial system wasn’t a lot improved over that of the non-hybrid 750s. This automobile was rated at 17 miles per gallon within the metropolis and 24 on the freeway, versus 14 and 22 mpg for the strange 750Li.
For that drop-in-the-bucket gasoline financial savings, the ActiveHybrid 750Li had a listing value of $101,100 (about $139,994 in 2024 {dollars}). In the meantime, the non-hybrid 750Li for 2012 had an MSRP of $88,200 ($122,252 after inflation). Maybe the HYBRID textual content within the badges bestowed house owners a tiny dollop of greenness onto their public picture, however this can be a BMW 7 Sequence we’re speaking about.
So, a really luxurious, very highly effective, very thirsty luxurious sedan that reeked of greenwashing to those that fought for diminished carbon emissions but price tens of hundreds greater than its all-gasoline sibling. No marvel so few had been bought!
The six-banger ActiveHybrid 7s for 2013 acquired a lot better mileage: 22 miles per gallon metropolis, 30 miles per gallon freeway. That did not get it wherever close to Prius territory, however was nonetheless respectable for a automobile that scaled in at almost 5,000 kilos.
Why is it in such a spot at age 12? With simply 657 V8-powered ActiveHybrid 7s bought in your entire nation, alternative elements for something involving the hybrid powertrain a lot have been terrifyingly costly, in the event that they had been even accessible in any respect. As soon as a type of parts failed, the journey for this automobile to the closest Choose Your Half was a brief one.
The highway to the long run? Maybe not.