BMW will go ahead with plans to bring its "Progressive Activity Sedan", or PAS, to market. Referred to over the past year as the V5, 5-Series GT, 5-Series Fastback and 5-Series Hatch, BMW's PAS is an original concept regardless of its identity crisis.
According to Autocar, one source claims BMW has identified an ageing population group that finds modern sedans too low but also dislikes SUVs. The automaker will address this perceived niche by giving the PAS a higher driving position than a normal sedan. Because it is based on the new platform underpinning the 2009 BMW 7-Series however, the car will share more with its sedan brethren than its X6 lookalike.
The exact dimensions are unknown, but the PAS is slightly longer than the 5-series sedan and shorter than the 7-series. It will also ride higher than a normal sedan. The car's height is somewhere between a 5-series and an X6. Inside, Autocar's source says the PAS will offer the same amount of generous legroom as the new 7-series, although headroom is probably a bigger concern with its sloping roof.
The roofline and hatch are similar to the X6, but the car's front end will refer to the CS concept, pictured above. The interior will continue the flowing design theme of the 2010 BMW Z4 roadster, with a wide center console. There has been no word on whether the PAS will be a 4- or 5-passenger vehicle, and no details have emerged concerning the engine specifications, but the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel for the U.K and 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine for the U.S. are safe bets.
Source: Autocar