Let’s call BMW’s new system Hybrid Light and Power Plus. It adds a 15-kilowatt (20 horsepower) electric motor to the potent twin-turbo V8 in order to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. It also produces what BMW calls the “fastest-accelerating hybrid sedan in the world,” thanks to a combined power output of 455 hp, which enables the ActiveHybrid 7 to hit the 100-kilometres-an-hour mark from a dead stop in 4.9 seconds flat. With this new “mild” hybrid, BMW is blowing the doors off the competition. This newest version of the 7 Series is a second-and-a-half quicker on the run to 100 km/h than the Lexus LS 600h and more than two seconds quicker than the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, which pairs the same 15-kW electric motor to a much more sedate V6 engine. – from National Post