Auto and Cars

BMW M340d: The Power Diesel comes with 340 hp in 2020 In Summer 2020, the wait for the BMW M340d xDrive comes to an end. The G20 M340d sedan and the G21 M340d Touring will bring to market the most powerful diesel for the 3 Series family. According to our sister website Bimmertoday, the BMW M340d comes with 250 kW / 340 PS and 700 Newton meters of torque, which gives it an even more powerful drive than the current M40d models based on X3 and X4. The TwinTurbo inline six-cylinder diesel receives support from a 48-volt electrical system, which further improves the agility of the drive. The 48-volt starter generator can finally close the already very small turbo lag with up to 8 kW (11 hp) and over 100 Newton meters of torque available without delay. It also helps the M340d to coa...

E92 BMW M3 V8 (S65) is one of the decade’s best engines, per Jalopnik For BMW enthusiasts, the E92 M3 holds a special place in their hearts. It’s special car after all, as it’s the only M3 to ever sport a V8 (it’s also the last to ever do so) and it’s the last “pure” M3, in that it lacks turbochargers, all-wheel drive and electric power steering. However, the star of the E92 BMW M3 is the V8 itself; a 4.0 liter naturally-aspirated screamer that revs past 8,200 rpm. BMW fans naturally love it but it’s also nice to see that engine get some appreciation elsewhere. Such as this new Jalopnik list that rates the E92 M3’s engine as one of the best from the last decade. Okay, okay, so technically the V8 (codenamed S65) from the E92 BMW M3 isn&rsqu...

Carlos Sainz wins the 2020 Dakar Rally in a MINI JCW Buggy Carlos Sainz (ESP) and his co-driver Lucas Cruz (ESP) have won the 2020 Rally Dakar. This is their third win, having previously triumphed in 2010 and 2018.  The duo raced for MINI and MINI Motorsport partner X-raid in a MINI John Cooper Works Buggy. The Spanish pair finished 6:21 minutes ahead of last year’s winner Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) after roughly 7,500 kilometers through Saudi Arabia, which was hosting the Dakar for the first time. Dakar record winner Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) and his co-driver Paulo Fiuza (POR) finished third, 9:58 minutes behind Sainz and Cruz, to round off an impressive performance from the two MINI JCW Buggies. The two MINI JCW Buggy crews each won four stages, while MINI vehicles w...

2020 BMW 530e Plug-in Hybrid Review – Halfway there The automotive landscape is changing at a never-before seen pace. As a matter of fact, everything today seems to change at rapid fire, including the climate and the way we look at exploiting the resources of our planet. Some may not agree with the way things are going but then again, manufacturers don’t really have a choice. BMW, just like any other company out there, has to follow guidelines and laws that are put in place to keep things fair for everyone. Those laws might not be easy to live with but they do push us to find new technologies and new ways of moving forward. Higher Cell Density, Same Battery Pack To that end, the Bavarian car maker created its own battery research center near Munich, a few years back. Its main purp...

BMW i8 – A Look Back At This Marvelous Sportscar Frankfurt, Germany – June 2011. BMW was about to wow the world’s automotive press by presenting their vision of an electric future at the Frankfurt Messe. They had developed two concept cars to display, one aggressively styled sports car, the i8 prototype, and one obvious urban transporter, the i3 prototype. The event was to be a dramatic success; the press on hand having been flown in at great expense from around the globe. The whole BMW management team was on hand to discuss the way forward and while the urban transporter was the steak, the sports car was certainly the sizzle and garnered more than its fair share of attention. I have since tried to imagine what it would have been like if the i8 prototype had not been includ...

BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 14: E92 3 Series, 2 Series Gran Coupe and Winter Tires It’s that time again. We’re actually a bit late this week, so we apologize, but BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 14 is finally here. In it, I discuss some interesting topics, such as the E92 BMW 3 Series Coupe and why it’s such a great buy, the 2 Series Gran Coupe and why it isn’t, as well as why winter tires are important for you car this season. To kick things off, I talk about the E92 3 Series. We actually spoke about the E90-generation 3 Series as a whole last week but we focus on just the E92 3 Series Coupe in this episode. That’s because we think it’s a sensational buy for young BMW enthusiasts looking to get into a fun, sporty and great looking car. The E92 is great for a num...

New Porsche 718 Boxster, Cayman GTS 4.0 models: manuals and six-cylinders Like BMW, Porsche too won’t let the manual gearbox die. With the advent of the new 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 and 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 models, purists get a chance to discover a state-of-the-art powertrain and a concentrated thrilling sensations in the new compact-sized high-performance version models coming from Zuffenhausen. Porsche is adding a new version to its high-performance mid-engine sports car series. The 718 lineup gets now enriched by the addition of the new Boxster and Cayman GTS 4.0 variants, which is aimed at the purist fans and drivers. The new 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 and 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 are powered by the 4.0-liter six-cylinder Boxer engine that delivers a peak output of 294 kW / 400 PS (394 hp). The...

BMW updates the 7 Series, 8 Series, X5, X6 and X7 models in Spring 2020 The BMW 7 Series, 8 Series, X5, X6 and X7 are all getting enhanced as BMW is officially announcing a significant array of updates coming in Spring 2020 for its upper range of models. Beginning with March 2020, the current generation of the 7 Series luxury flagship (G11/G12 LCI) and the complete 8 Series family (G14/G15/G16) and the likewise high-performance M8 models (F91/F92/F93) will get additional comfort equipment. Thus, for example, the automatic soft-close door technology will become a standard feature on the mentioned models. The family of range-topping SAVs and SACs is also getting a refreshment boost and significant new options for clients to choose from. The fleet composed of the X5 (G05), the new X6 (G06...

Next-Gen BMW 4 Series Could Debut at 2020 Geneva Motor Show Of all the upcoming cars in BMW’s pipeline, the 4 Series Coupe is among the most highly anticipated. After the success of the G20 3 Series, BMW enthusiasts are very interested to see if the 4 Series can improve on its success with more stylish looks and a slightly sportier drive. However, there’s also a bit of fear that its new Kidney Grille design will look too much like the controversial Concept 4’s. Thankfully, we should see for sure soon enough, as the next two-door Bimmer is likely to make its debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in March. We don’t have any official information about the 4er’s reveal but it seems likely that we’ll see it in Geneva. We do know that we’ll see the offi...

MINI has put together a collection of potential Valentine’s Day gifts Now that all the celebrations for the New Year’s Eve are past us, we all know that the first big holiday coming up is Valentine’s Day. For many of us this poses a lot of challenges, especially for those out of inspiration. Well, MINI is trying to lend a helping hand and the guys and gals over at the British brand put together a small catalogue of items that could be used as a gift for your loved ones, especially if we’re talking about a car enthusiast. MINI has been offering lifestyle accessories and items for quite some time now, the British brand launching a new collection every once in a while. For this occasion though, they just took some items out of the collection and introduced them as potenti...

SPIED: What is this strange wide-body BMW i3 test mule? We’ve known for awhile the BMW is keeping the i3 around for a few more years. While it might not be as competitive as BMW might have hoped it’d be at this point, the i3 still sells well enough to warrant its continued production. However, we have no idea what the in the name of Jeebus this wide-body BMW i3 test mule is for. (We don’t own the spy photos but you can see them here) In these photos, we can clearly see a BMW i3 test mule of some sort but it has fenders that are about a foot wider than the normal car’s. While the wheel track seems to have been widened, the wheels still aren’t as wide as the fenders, with the wheel wells extending about six inches past the wheels and tires. It’s bizarre...

Genesis GV80 has been fully revealed and it looks surprisingly good A little while back, we saw some early images of the Genesis GV80, the brand’s first entry into the premium SUV market. Now, the car has been officially, and fully, revealed and it looks surprisingly good. So good, in fact, that it just might have a real shot at taking on the BMW X5. On the outside, the Genesis GV80 is a genuinely handsome thing. Its overall shape, proportions and design are spot-on, as it looks both elegant and athletic. There are some minor details that I, personally, don’t love, such as the side fender vents and the taillights. However, the rest of it looks great. I really like the muscular rear haunches, the D-pillar kink and the cool dual-bar headlights. For a first attempt, the GV80 is...

SPIED: Electric BMW 3 Series test prototype looks a bit intriguing Some time ago, BMW said it wouldn’t build an electric 3 Series. But it seems plans have changed, if we are to believe the latest spy photos, which indicate that a pure electric 3 Series might be on the way. However, this is not your ordinary 3 Series.  Recently, spy photographers scooped what looks to be an early prototype of a future electric 3 Series model out in the wild (you can see the photos here). As seen from the spy shots, the camouflaged test vehicles is based on the long-wheelbase G28 model series, given the longer rear doors. Our own sources say that BMW is indeed testing an electric 3 Series electric on a long-wheelbase platform which is destined for the Chinese market only. But why the long-whee...

BMW CTO: Electric cars make sense mainly in the West coast and parts of the East coast BMW’s top engineering boss, Klaus Froehlich recently sat down for an extensive interview with Automotive News Europe. As you might have guessed, majority of the topics focused on electric mobility. BMW has made a bet on a flexible architecture for the next decade which allows for both ICE and EV drivetrains to live on the same model. But Froehlich says that this could change when the “world turns fully electric.” So BMW is prepared to make the switch to a dedicated electric platform. When needed. On the topic of electrified vehicles sales, Herr Froehlich says that EVs “will account for 20 percent to 30 percent of worldwide sales by 2030, but with a very diverse global distribu...

BMW announces investment in AI deep-tech company Alitheon BMW announced a new investment yesterday through its investment arm BMW i Ventures. The newest company the Bavarians decided to invest in is Alitheon, a deep-tech AI developer based in Washington. The company raised $14.9 million in venture capital, thanks to investments from BMW i Ventures, IPD Capital and Shasta Ventures alongside current and former senior management from Accenture, Boeing and Fidelity. Alitheon has been developing a technology they call FeaturePrint which is meant to be used as an authenticator of sorts. Basically, this technology transforms how objects, components and finished products are authenticated, tracked and traced across supply chains and distribution systems throughout the world. Once registered by ...

BMW i Motorsport previews the first race of 2020: the Santiago E-Prix Formula E resumes the 2019 – 2020 season with the upcoming Santiago E-Prix, to be held this weekend in Chile. The BMW i Andretti Motorsport greets 2020 in full force, after the two pole positions and one win of Alexander Sims in the first race of the season at Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. For the second race of the 6th Formula E chapter, the teams will head over to the streets of Santiago, Chile, on a track that measures 2.287 kilometers, covered anti-clockwise. The circuit comprises 11 turns, 8 to the left and 3 to the right and it got slightly reconfigured to bring more action. The track surface is rather bumpy between Turn 9 and Turn 1, with a new, more heat resistant tarmac surface laid between Turn 2 and Turn 8....

Video: BMW 330e named best PHEV and executive car in the UK January comes with several award ceremonies held in the automotive industry. Many publications use this month to set up for a good year ahead and give car makers a boost in the process. BMW has been at the receiving end of a couple of prizes already, the most recent being the award for the best executive car and best PHEV in the UK, thanks to the 330e. The plug-in hybrid 3 Series won the aforementioned accolades from UK magazine WhatCar. According to WhatCar, the 3 Series model managed to win both categories thanks to a very interesting mix of characteristics: “The BMW 330e is a hybrid that you can have some fun in. It’s more refined and comfortable than other hybrid saloons, while being almost as engaging to drive ...

BMW Spartanburg Plant Reached new Record Output levels in 2019 As you might’ve heard, BMW set yet another sales record last year. The Bavarian brand sold more cars than ever before in 2019 and a lot of the credit goes to their expending range of SUVs and crossovers. They were, by far, the most popular choices for customers worldwide. Since BMW builds most of its X cars at the Spartanburg plant, the US facility also posted record-breaking results last year. The Spartanburg plant is one of the biggest BMW has around the world. Starting off with a production capacity of 300,000 units, the plant underwent an expansion process taking its capacity up to 450,000. For a short time it was BMW’s biggest plant in the world. However, the Chinese manufacturing plants expanded not long af...

VIDEO: Check out the BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe First Edition 1 of 8 At the 2019 LA Auto Show, we had the opportunity to see the BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe First Edition 1 of 8 (I know, that name is exhausting) in person. It was a genuine stunner. Even some of BMW’s biggest critics, who were at the BMW stage to mock the lowly M235i Gran Coupe, were remarking about the Aurora Diamond Green Metallic M8. There are two reasons for that; one is the fact that the M8 Gran Coupe is a very pretty car and the other is its incredible spec. In this new video from Shmee, we get to actually see the incredibly rare car up close. In fact, considering that there are only eight in the world, this video is likely the closest any of us will ever get to the First Edition BMW M8 Gran Coupe. So w...

2020 BMW 4 Series gets rendered in M440i guise with a large grille When it comes to market this year, the all-new 2020 BMW 4 Series will feature a new top model. The BMW M440i will take the top spot in the new RWD 4 Series lineup, same as the M330i in the 3 Series family. And while the G20 3 Series sedan went with a “safer” and evolutionary design, the new G22 4 Series will shock the automotive world. To prepare us for the unthinkable – as some might call it – BMW has unveiled a few months the BMW Concept 4. The first thing that stands out on the new concept, and implicitly on the future 4 Series, is the extremely large kidney grille. The oversized iconic kidneys are the talk of the BMW world, and that’s not likely to change considering the G80 M3 and G82 M...

Goodbye BMW i8: We’ll Miss BMW’s Flawed but Ambitious Sports Car There are some reports swirling around the interwebs about BMW ceasing production on the i8 in just a few months. Most of the reports claim that the BMW i8 will die off by April of this year. While that isn’t confirmed as of yet, it’s most likely accurate. Autocar even reported that UK dealers are telling customers that if they want a BMW i8, they need to put their order in by the end of February. So the end is nigh. Which is actually a bit sad. The BMW i8 is a deeply flawed car, there’s no two ways about it, but it’s a charming car, an interesting car and one that is hard not to like. It’s a car that seems to have so much potential, yet fails to deliver on most of it and yet it’s one th...

BMW M outsold Mercedes-Benz AMG in 2019 With sales growth of 32.2% (135,826 deliveries), 2019 was also the most successful year in the almost fifty-year history of BMW M GmbH. It was quite a busy year for the M Sportscar Division which introduced a large number of refreshed or new models. Throughout the year, we’ve seen the introduction of the X3 M, X4 M, X5 M and X6 M, the M2 CS and luxury sports cars M8 Coupé, M8 Convertible and M8 Gran Coupé. Thanks to this strong lineup, BMW M outsold its arch-rival – Mercedes-Benz AMG. The high-performance and sports-car brand Mercedes-AMG achieved a new record year in 2019 with 132,136 units sold and double-digit growth of 11.8%. The Affalterbach-based company achieved its highest sales figures in history also in Great Br...

Toyota Supra now available with 2-liter engine too in Europe A year has passed since the Supra made a comeback into our lives. Initially we all thought the Supra would only be offered with BMW’s already iconic B58 3-liter straight six engine but it looks like the Japanese brand wants a bit more of BMW’s pie. Therefore, they announced the introduction of a 2-liter 4-cylinder option on the European market today, one that would probably make a lot of people happy price-wise. I still think you need to get a straight six engine on your Supra if you want it to live up to the expectations but then again, to each his own. The 2-liter engine was introduced on the Japanese market last year but that was the only exception to the rule up until today. The new model also uses a BMW engine...

BMW i8 will reportedly go out of production in April A new report coming in from the UK claims that the BMW i8 will be going out of production this April, leaving those interested in buying one just a few months left to make up their mind. The BMW i8 has long been reported to be on the way out but no official date was given up until now. With its departure this year, the i8 will be adhering to the usual production span of most cars in BMW’s range, unlike its brother, the i3. It was 2014 when the i8 initially went on sale and wow the crowds anywhere it went. Even to this day this car seems like it arrived straight from the future, showing no sign of ageing and making the same impression everywhere it goes. However, according to Autocar, this will all soon come to an end. The Britis...

BMW i3 Review: Can The Interior Fit A Car Seat and Stroller? It has been six years since I started my journey with BMW’s first electric car – the BMW i3. It has all begun with the “Panda” 2015 BMW i3 REx (60Ah), which was replaced two years later by the “Darth Vader” 2017 BMW i3 REx (94Ah). 2019 came around and it was time to pick another i3. Since I already loved the additional peace of mind provided by the Range Extender, I opted again for a BMW i3 REx (94Ah since the 120Ah wasn’t available yet), only this time painted in the vibrant Melbourne Red Metallic. As you’d expect, over the years, I’ve had the chance to write several BMW i3 reviews. Naturally, most of them focused on the driving experience, charging and electric range. But...

5 Reasons Why We Love The BMW M2 Competition At the moment, it seems as if BMW struggles to gain widespread critical acclaim. Even when it debuts such monster cars like the BMW M8, there always seems to be a “but” from critics. However, there’s one car that gets far more love than criticism, even if it has its faults — the BMW M2 Competition. The BMW M2 Competition is not a perfect sports car by any means. It’s still too heavy, the seating position is too high, it can get a bit snappy at speed and its engine note still isn’t great. However, there’s so much to love about it, and it has a punchy, brutish character that’s endearing enough to cover up its faults. So let’s take a look at the five main reasons why we love the BMW M2 Compet...

Over 300 Teams competed in the first ever BMW sim racing event Ahead of racing in the first endurance race of 2020, BMW hosted a sim racing event on Sunday evening under the ‘BMW 120 at Daytona’ name. Around 600 people competed split in 300 teams for the first place and after a two-hour race one team rose above all others. Maximilian Wenig and Maximilian Benecke, both from Germany, claimed the number one spot after it was all said and done, team Redline GT being crowned the winner. The racers competed on the popular online platform iRacing and got to drive a BMW M8 GTE in the virtual realm. The winners had to cover 70 laps and managed to do so in a clean fashion. Behind them in second place were their team-mates Jonas Wallmeier and Gianni Vecchio also from Germany. The two G...

Video: How to Purchase new features over the air from inside your BMW Tesla made the headlines when it announced the introduction of over the air updates for its cars. With this new feature, the cars could be updated in real time, making the infotainment system better, but also introducing new features altogether. However, the American company isn’t the only one that offers over the air updates, BMW also being one of the early innovators in the field. The Germans have been fiddling with such solutions for quite some time now and starting this year customers can even buy certain features on their cars, not just use over the air updates for security updates. Depending on the car you own, these updates could include a variety of case uses, they will be highly dependent on what you ha...

BMW Group Classic to run legendary cars at the GP Ice Race 2020 Our friends over at BMW Group Classic are starting the year with an ice race. The guys will be traveling to Zell am See with a host of legendary cars to take part in what seems like a crazy fun event. The GP Ice Race 2020 will be held on February 1 and 2 2020 and will be hosted by the aforementioned Austrian town for the second time. What makes this event special is the fact that it spares tires from getting shredded. While BMW cars have been seen on the ice at the GP Ice Race, this is actually the first time BMW Group Classic will take place in the competition. Their line-up is also pretty impressive, showing that the goal here is to make a lasting impression. The one that will probably attract the most curious looks will ...