G20 BMW 330e plug-in hybrid launched in Thailand

The G20 BMW 330e plug-in hybrid has made its market debut in Thailand, the car going on sale in locally-assembled form as an M Sport version, priced at 2.769 million Baht (RM370,000). It replaces the petrol 330i in the local model range, and joins the 320d M Sport diesel as the available G20 offerings in line-up, The Bangkok Post reports.

Malaysia, meanwhile, is still awaiting the arrival of the new 330e, which went on sale in Europe last August. Earlier this month, it was reported that BMW Malaysia has said that it is keen to introduce the 3 Series PHEV variant this year, but no definite timelines were mentioned. This is of course an advancement from that offered last year, in which it was said that the introduction of the 330e and G05 X5 sDrive45e was not an absolute certainty.

 

The G20 330e uses an updated version of the B48 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which offers 184 hp and 300 Nm. The mill is paired with a 50 kW (68 PS) electric motor and a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox, and combined system output is 248 hp (252 PS) and 420 Nm of torque, with an XtraBoost feature providing an extra 40 hp (41 PS) temporarily under acceleration.

A larger 12 kWh lithium-ion battery has nearly doubled the all-electric range, which now sits at up to 60 km. Performance figures include a zero-to-100 km/h sprint time of 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h, a slight increase over the F30 version.