Report: Alpina open-minded with producing hybrid models

The war against fuel economy is real and its affecting everyone, from high-end supercar makers, to your basic mainstream providers. Though it seems some have been able to fend off this trend by sticking to their gut and working with what they have, even if it means maintaining their brand image while leveraging other products for the sake of CAFE requirements.

But now, the fuel economy concern is even affecting those who prioritize opulence and performance over anything else, like BMW’s custom tuning branch, Alpina.

BMW’s been working to incorporate more fuel efficient alternatives to the traditional internal combustion with hybrid models, though they’ve been leaving Alpina out of this effort because Alpina’s more about performance and luxury, than anything.

Though a recent report from AutoCar indicates Alpina may be changing their position on fuel efficiency as the brand’s CEO, Andy Bovensiepen, told AutoCar that there’s a possibility for hybrid Alpina models in the near future.

“If we have a good technical base of a car from BMW and we also see the sales figures taking off, then we could have a car ready within two years,” said Bovensiepen.

He did also note that current hybrids are simply not “good enough” for the Alpina brand, similarly to how BMW politically stands with the idea of a BMW M7–they consistently say no because the idea of an M7 clashes with the 7-Series’ idea of luxury. Alpina makes the B7, which fulfills this premise.

Source: AutoCar

Source: egmCarTech http://ift.tt/1HzP95f