BMW gives 2 Series Active Tourer long-range plug-in hybrids

BMW will offer two new plug-in hybrid versions of its new 2 Series Active Tourer.

The second-generation of the premium minivan will have BMW's fifth-generation eDrive hybrid technology that allows for an electric-only driving range of up to 80 km (50 miles).

The five-seat minivan will compete against the Mercedes-Benz B Class and will be BMW's last remaining minivan competitor as buyers increasingly switch to SUVs and crossovers.

The seven-seat 2 Series Gran Tourer is being dropped due to declining demand, a BMW spokesman told Automotive News Europe.

The 2 Series Active Tourer will go on sale in Europe in February with gasoline and diesel engines. The plug-in hybrid models will be added to the lineup in July.

The minivan will use an updated version of BMW's FAAR front-wheel-drive architecture. It will continue to be built at the company's plant in Leipzig, Germany.

The new model gets a bigger cabin and more cargo capacity. It's 30 mm longer, 25 mm wider and 20 mm taller than the current car, while the wheelbase remains 2670 mm long.

It has a larger grille, flush-fitting door handles and a redesigned rear with slimmer, horizontal headlights.

The minivan's newly designed door shoulders around the A-pillars create much improved all-round visibility, BMW said.

The cabin gets interior design upgrades as seen on BMW's new iX large full-electric SUV, including two curved 10.25-inch displays for instrumentation and 10.7-inch display for infotainment.

For the first time in a BMW compact segment model, the 2 Series Active Tourer's iDrive software system is based on the company's new iDrive 8 operating unit. The system does not have a manual control dial and is operated by touch and voice controls.

The iDrive 8 brings a cloud-based navigation system as an option with an augmented view function, over-the-air updates and 5G connectivity.

More of the minivan's driver assistance systems will be standard equipment, including cruise control with a braking function and systems that can warn about oncoming traffic when turning left and pedestrians and cyclists and when turning right.

European sales of the Active and Gran Tourer models fell 40 percent to 12,480 in the first eight months, according to JATO Dynamics.