Saar: Tagged as the 330e, it can cover a distance of up to 60 kilometres on electricity alone.

BMW unwrapped the seventh-gen 3 Series last month. Back then, the Munich-based automaker confirmed that at the time of launch, the new 3 Series will be available with four conventional engine options. Now though, BMW has unveiled the 330e. For the uninitiated, the ‘e’ stands for electrification and the 330e is has a plug-in hybrid powertrain. In essence, it will become the least polluting variant of the new BMW 3 Series.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain is composed of a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with 184PS and an electric motor which generates a continuous output of 68PS and a peak output of 109PS. The total system power is rated at 252PS/420Nm. Transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed Steptronic automatic unit. The oomph from the powertrain is enough for the sedan to complete the 0-100kmph sprint in 6.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 230kmph.

Obviously, there are multiple drive modes available. In Hybrid mode, the new BMW 330e can travel at speed up to 110kmph when running on electricity alone. That’s 30kmph faster than the plug-in hybrid’s predecessor. Switch to Electric mode, the sedan can reach speeds of up to 140kmph – 20kmph faster than before – without any emissions. After all, it is a BMW and it has to feature a Sport driving mode as well. Once activated, BMW’s XtraBoost tech comes into play and orders an extra 41PS from the high-voltage battery, peaking the electric power output at 109PS. That said, the XtraBoost feature can be used up to the minimum charge statues of the battery.

BMW claims that with a gross energy storage of 12kWh, the lithium-ion high-voltage battery can power the 330e sedan to cover up to 60 kilometres of distance on electricity alone. That, when compared to the variant’s predecessor, is an improvement of 50 per cent. On the other hand, fuel consumption and emission figures are reduced by 10 per cent in the second-gen plug-in hybrid variant of the 3 Series.

With additional machinery behind the scenes, the BMW 330e isn’t as practical as the standard 3 Series. The boot capacity has come down to 375 litres, thanks to the high-voltage battery, which is placed underneath the rear seats, and the fuel tank, which is located above the rear axle. That said, the rear seats still have the 40:20:40 split ratio and can be folded down to increase the cargo volume.

Like other variants of the BMW 3 Series, the 330e will also be available in different trim levels – Advantage, Sport Line, Luxury Line and M Sport. BMW will launch the 330e in the summer of next year. While other, conventionally-powered, variants of the new 3 Series will go on sale in India sometime next year, the 330e is likely to be given a miss.