It is BMW’s first application of the two-mode transmission it developed in partnership with GM and DaimlerChrysler, and as the debut of the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 inches ever closer, the company has released a host of new details about this eagerly anticipated model.

The ActiveHybrid X6 will offer approximately a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption versus a comparable vehicle powered by a combustion engine alone and yet puts clear emphasis on driver dynamics. Its drive system consists of a 4.4litre 300kW/407hp V8 power unit with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and two electric motors. Peak torque is 780Nm.

The engine originally made its debut in the BMW X6 xDrive50i – the world’s first V8 petrol engine with two turbochargers and two catalytic converters in the V-section between the two rows of the cylinders. The four cylinders are each supplied with compressed air by one turbocharger and engine power builds up without delay helping the engine to higher speeds.

Clearly powerful, the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 can accelerate from a standstill to 100km/h in a mere 5.6seconds and reach a top speed of 146mph (155mph with the sports package). Its average fuel consumption is 23.8mpg and it has a CO2 emission rating of 231g/km.

The vehicle is the first BMW full hybrid model capable of running exclusively on electric power up to a speed of 37mph with the combustion engine coming into effect when required. With the two-mode active transmission there is enhanced efficiency and performance and with the two electric motors, the drive power is transmitted through a seven-gear automatic transmission.

The BMW ActiveHybrid X6 also makes the most of an upgraded version of the brake energy recuperation that is featured in BMW’s current models. When in overrun, the electric motors act as generators that feed the high performance battery and depending on the stopping power that is applied, the brake energy recuperation is either performed by one or both electric motors.