BMW 518g Touring (E34), natural gas

When the BMW 518g Touring (E34) was launched at the end of 1995, it created a minor sensation. Together with the BMW 316g Compact, it was the first series-produced vehicle in Europe to be powered by natural gas. This was facilitated by the already familiar M43 engine being tuned to a bivalent drive so that the car could run on petrol or natural gas. The additional natural-gas tank was located in the trunk, positioned directly behind the rear seats. Although the driving performance was slightly diminished when the engine was powered by natural gas, the carbon-dioxide emissions were reduced by up to 20 %. The vehicle had a price tag of DM 57,000 and this made it almost DM 10,000 more expensive than the equivalent automobile powered by petrol (BMW 518i Touring). Only just under 300 customers opted to purchase this vehicle.