BMW is exploring a plan to build what a senior company official calls "a breakthrough green supercar" by the end of 2012.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.autocar.co.uk/Car/BMW/Concepts/281088115023.jpg)
The new car would rival the Audi R8 and forthcoming Mercedes SLC, and has been described by company insiders as ‘a puristic two-seater that draws on all the very latest BMW technology and lightweight build processes.’
The car is also intended to showcase BMW’s Efficient Dynamics programme, combining fuel-saving technology such as direct injection, brake energy regeneration and stop-start.
A source privy to early design proposals says that the new BMW supercar will be the equivalent of a modern-day M1, a car that the company recently made reference to with the retro M1 Homage concept.
The as-yet-unnamed new model will be capable of combining supercar performance and driving dynamics with fuel consumption and CO2 emissions "on a par with or better than a mid-range 5-series".
The car will be mid-engined, with power most likely to come from a retuned version of the company’s twin-turbocharged, 3.0-litre straight six petrol engine.
BMW is also considering introducing it with a kinetic energy recovery system similar to the one that the company’s F1 team will be using next year.
