Hybrid, electric, hydrogen or solar-powered cars are, given enough time and investment, likely to become the future form of personal transportation for most urban commuters. The problem is that such forms of energy are urgently required now in order to cut global greenhouse gas emissions and prevent total depletion of fossil fuels. One problem that faces our image-obsessed societies is that current hybrid car models are simply not particularly attractive to look at and simply put many people off on site. Also, for motorists that require a little more oomph under the hood there really isn’t a great deal of choice at the moment.

This may be about to change, however, as BMW has hit the road in a very big way with their incredible new prototype hybrid sports car that has many in the industry salivating over its stylish contours. The new hybrid model is currently slated to be on the market in 2013, and it is not unfair to say that it is completely unique in the hybrid car world. For a start, it packs a mighty 356-horsepower engine under the hood and goes from 0-60 in a lightening 4.8 seconds, which has even the most speed-obsessed in the motor industry sitting up straight and firmly facing the front. It finally appears that there could be a hybrid car on the market that is both rapid and economical.

The car also boasts an incredible 63 miles to the gallon which, in pure conservation terms, is utterly out of this world. Its combination of diesel and electric mileage is favorable comparable to 100% electric cars, only with one crucial difference: The design of BMW’s new super-hybrid is a far cry ahead from the stereotype microwave-on-wheels that many have come to expect of energy-efficient cars. Instead the car wouldn’t look out of place on a racetrack, let alone on a classy BMW showroom floor.

The main questions facing both BMW and the industry as a whole now are simply will it ever be fully realized, how committed is BMW to potentially mass-producing such a car and how much would it end up costing?

For starters BMW currently anticipates producing up to 10,000 cars in the new hybrid line, although a final price per car has yet to be finalized. We can postulate with some degree of certainty, however, that, based up BMW’s ActiveHybrid7 model it will most likely cost you in excess of $100,000 to park this beauty on your drive.

Perhaps the most exciting and significant factor in the unveiling of such a car is that the rather eccentric and somewhat dull image of the hybrid car is finally being retired. Finally, the hybrid industry has both a design and a quality performer that it can be proud of. At first glance if production is successful it could start opening up a while new niche market in high-end performance hybrid vehicles for users who are energy conscious, want to save money on fuel and also want to tear up the roads. After that, the sky’s the limit.

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