We’ve yet to wrap our heads around the numbers we’ve been presented, as it seems BMW has just reinvented the hybrid and called it the 2013 ActiveHybrid 3. Aside from it being, in our humble and unbiased opinion, the best looking hybrid we’ve ever laid our eyes on, and it even has the TwinPower Turbo 306 HP six-cylinder in-line engine from the 335i under the bonnet!

Doing away with the conception that hybrids are rather heavy and slow vehicles, BMW have integrated the 55 HP electric motor not just to achieve a 5.9 litres per 100 km fuel economy, but to provide extra boost when hard on the throttle. This all results in a 3 Series that is slightly faster than a 335i from 0 to 100 km/h (5.3 seconds vs. 5.5 seconds) while even trumping the excellent 328i’s fuel economy numbers (5.9 liters per 100 km vs. 6.4 litres per 100 km).

Customers will get to choose from the usual 3 Series lines (Sport, Modern, and Luxury) in addition to the much anticipated M Sport package. Regardless of which trim you opt for, inside you’ll find an eight-speed automatic hybrid transmission coupled to an intelligent energy management system. When set to ECO PRO mode, all-electric operation can be in effect for speeds up to 75 km/h, and the petrol engine can be decoupled while coasting at speeds of up to 160 km/h.

There’s no word yet on when we’ll be able to welcome the 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid on Canadian soil. But if you’re eager to start configurating the world’s most desireable hybrid, you can visit the BMW US car configurator to spec your very own ActiveHybrid 3.