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BMW Concept Active Tourer

The front-wheel-drive BMW Concept Active Tourer has debuted at Paris

The BMW Concept Active Tourer (CAT) was the centrepiece of BMW’s Paris Motor Show stand. While it’s a concept in name, the CAT previews the first front-wheel-drive BMW production cars, which will arrive in late 2014.

The Concept Active Tourer is aimed straight at the Mercedes B-Class - it’s a five-seater and almost the same size as the Mercedes, at 4,353mm long, 1,834mm wide and 1,560mm tall.

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Importantly, the CAT is designed so that, despite using the same platform and engines, it won’t steal sales from the all-new MINI, which debuts at the end of 2013.

The new engine layout means there’s no need for a long bonnet, and it's also brought about some careful rethinking of the traditional BMW design language for the Concept Active Tourer.

To give the car a sporty stance, the BMW kidney grille is tilted forward, while the headlights are swept back and flow out to the flared wheelarches, which cover 20-inch wheels.

The glasshouse has been moved forward, to give more interior space, but the traditional upswept windowline and kink are present. Tail-lights reminiscent of those on the 6 Series and a short overhang complete the look.

Inside, the dash is still angled towards the driver, but the area ahead of the front-seat passenger is curved up to the windscreen, allowing more light in. The front seats are mounted high for good all-round visibility, while the rears split 40:20:40 for maximum practicality.

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Neat tech touches include a full-colour head-up display, black panel dials from the 7 Series and a central 10.25-inch multifunction display screen.

A novel concept idea is the ‘cool shade’ panoramic roof. This is made of two sheets of glass with a particle film suspended between them. It can be switched from opaque to clear at the touch of a button.

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BMW is easing purists into the switch to front-wheel drive by showing the CAT with a plug-in hybrid powertrain as seen in the i8 supercar concept. The 134bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine drives the front wheels, while the rears are boosted by a 67bhp electric motor.

The system switches automatically between petrol power, electric power alone – which gives a range of around 19 miles – or both in tandem, for 200Nm of torque and quick acceleration.

This allows the CAT to sprint from 0-62mph in less than eight seconds and hit a top speed of more than 120mph, while also returning a claimed average of 113mpg and emitting less than 60g/km of CO2.

Economy is further boosted by the hybrid system getting information from the sat-nav, automatically switching to the most efficient drive source for the planned route.

The concept features three driving modes – Comfort, Sport and Eco Pro. In the latter mode, the sat-nav also includes preview assistant, which gives the driver tips such as “remove foot from accelerator” if a tight bend or speed limit is approaching.

The CAT will form the basis of BMW’s first front-wheel-drive car, which will be available with petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. A five-seat model will arrive first, followed by a seven-seater.

The car’s name is currently being decided, with 1 Series GT a possibility. However, as the CAT breaks from the BMW norm so much, an all-new naming structure is also being considered.

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