The X1 will be marketed in the United States as a 2011 model. BMW is closely watching the price of gas which will be the primary factor that will dictate the success of the X1 as a niche vehicle against its competitions from the other premium brands.

The compact X1 will be sold in other countries as a gasoline variant and a 4-cylinder diesel version. The U.S. models will only sport a gas engine with an option for an All Wheel Drive or Rear Wheel Drive setup.

The sticker price of the compact crossover in the U.S. will be a bit higher as effect of the weakness of the U.S. dollar against the Euro. It is also attributable to the expected higher demand in European countries.

Following the aggressive releases of the BMW units, the Mini crossover and a newly designed X3 are set to follow. The new Mini creation will be released on the earlier part of 2011. The name of the car has not been revealed yet but it will definitely have the option for an AWD or a front-wheel drive. The entry level Cooper will have a starting tag price at $29,000 while the Cooper S AWD will hit around $34,000.

The new X3 will be in dealerships by the first half of 2011 as a 2012 model. The 2012 X3 will be assembled in the South Carolina plant in Spartanburg.

• Not Just Fuel Cells: Along with Ford and Mazda, BMW’s hydrogen-fuelled vehicles use a “normal” internal combustion engine rather than fuel cells. The advantage of this is that while hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are still a long way from mainstream availability, the hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines (aka H2ICEs) have a much greater potential for a faster, cheaper, appearance, and just like their fuel-cell brethren, cars with H2ICEs are zero-emission vehicles with exhaust emissions primarily made of water.
• On the Road Since 2006: Hydrogen isn’t yet readily available, but in 2006, BMW introduced a new generation of its H2ICE cars, putting 100 drivers around the world behind the wheel of their bi-fuel Hydrogen 7’s. With the touch of a button, these cars can switch from using hydrogen to using conventional gasoline, and with either fuel being used, the V-12 engines under the hoods of these cars provide 260 hp, and make a top speed of 143 mph. (this is an electronically controlled limit). They hydrogen, which is stored in cryogenic liquid form, gives these vehicles a 125-mile (or more) range between refills, and increases that by 300 miles when running on gas – the separate tank for which holds 19.5 gallons. Since then, BMW has also launched the Hydrogen 7, a hydrogen-only car that gets even more impressive results across the board, improving engine performance, fuel consumption, emissions, and the distance between necessary fill-ups.
• H2ICEs Come with Big Advantages: One of the greatest items on the “pro” side of the H2ICE chart is that they only require minimal alterations to engine manufacturing and maintenance. These engines can be built on the same production lines already used for the construction of diesel and gas-only engines, and BMW does so routinely, using the same assembly lines as those which produce their more conventional 5-, 6-, and 7-series cars. To contrast, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles require the complete redesign of both equipment and facilities, though both come with the need for specially trained technicians.
• More Affordable: Since H2ICEs have almost all of the environmental benefits of a hydrogen fuel-cell, but incur only a fraction of their cost in the construction process, their availability will help establish a “hydrogen distribution infrastructure.” As well, they’ll also cost less to buy, which is of vital importance to penny pinchers, because while going green via H2ICE might be cheaper than the alternative, finding discount auto insurance for such a vehicle is highly unlikely due to lack of data.

You’re probably thinking, “Well, all this is great, but how do they drive?” which is a valid question. BMW stresses (and reviewers agree) that hydrogen beamers still qualify for the epithet, “ultimate drivine machine.” Both the bio- and mono-fuel versions of the Hydrogen 7 share the safety features, comfort details, and performance of any other BMW 7-series car in production, with one added benefit: they’re virtually silent. Not only does this allow you to arrive home in the middle of the night without waking the neighbors, it’s also another feature fuel-cell cars don’t have. It’s almost impossible to be silent with an electric motor whirring away, after all.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m sure the Germans will beat the rest of the world in making these things financially sound too…

Source – Wheeltronix