This hybrid technology is about as close to being a fad as those crazy personal computers of the 1980s. They are here to stay and will soon be as much a part of our automotive world as 6-speed manuals and computers that can detect wheel slippage. So it is with no great surprise that Lamborghini plans to produce a hybrid Gallardo by 2015, the same year that Ferrari plans to unveil a vehicle using the same technology.

Every day it seems like new a vehicle is being designed with a hybrid power plant. BMW just announced its ActiveHybrid 7 and ActiveHybrid X6; both of which will use electric motors to increase performance of BMW's 4.4-liter V-8 as well as lower its fuel requirements. They do have some differences. The electric motor in the ActiveHybrid 7 is slotted between the engine and transmission, like Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid (which was originally designed after Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist system), and will power the car exclusively at stops but never while on the move. On the other hand, the X6 will feature two electric motors and can be considered a true hybrid, since the car will be able to run solely on electric power—if the computer deems it profitable—up to 37 mph or for distances up to 1.6 miles.

The ActiveHybrid 7 will be coming to market at about the same time as the Mercedes-Benz S400. Like the BMW 7, the S400 utilizes a lithium-ion battery instead of the nearly-standard Nickel-metal Hybride (NiMH) cells, like those in the ActiveHybrid X6. In fact, the S400 is touted as the first production hybrid to use a lithium-ion battery. Although other cars, like the Tesla Roadster, run on lithium-ion technology; however, since they do not have gas engines, they are not considered hybrids.

The new Mercedes and BMW hybrids should have arrived much sooner. Lexus has been running the premium hybrid sedan market for too long; so long in fact that pictures of the redesigned 2010 LS600hL have already hit the Internet.

BMW’s X6 hybrid won’t be alone in the premium sports activity vehicle market. The ActiveHybrid X6 will have to compete with the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid. Porsche is quick to point out that its hybrid will use a parallel full-hybrid design and has already been tested at speeds up to 86 mph without use of the gasoline engine. Both SUVs will make more than 380 hp, good enough to keep up with their solely-fossil-fuel-powered brothers but making less emissions and using less fuel.

With the premium brands making hybrids out of their premium products, it puts the money for design and engineering in the right hands to implant the less-premium models with the future technology. Remember, it’s the Carrera GT-like products, and their testing and engineering, that greatly contribute to how well the Boxster-like products are designed and built.

[via Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and LexusEnthusiast.com]