Auto and Cars

BMW Invests in SMC, aiming for next-level efficient electric motors Like it or not, the automotive world seems to be going electric. That means electric motors and batteries will become the next big thing, with big-time names already investing in the industry. BMW, as a car maker, has not only to keep up but stay ahead of the curve. To that end, BMW’s strategic investment arm, BMW i Ventures, announced an investment in Software Motor Company (SMC). The Silicon Valley-based company has completed a $25 million financing round which saw, among others, BMW i Ventures as one of the investors. According to them, the funds raised will allow them to expand and continue accelerating product development efforts. Their main focus is designing and deploying the world’s most reliable, ef...

What’s a Front-Wheel Drive BMW 1 Series like? Auto Express Finds Out So far, most the reviews for the BMW 1 Series we’ve seen, including our own, have been surprisingly positive. It seems that BMW ain’t too shabby at making front-wheel drive-based architectures. However, most of the 1er’s we’ve driven, and seen reviewed, have been all-wheel drive models. More specifically, the BMW M135i. With BMW’s front-drive xDrive all-wheel drive system, it’s constantly sending some power to the rear wheels, helping to quell traditional front-drive characteristics. Admittedly, the xDrive system found in the BMW 1 Series is a Haldex-based system, so it can only send a maximum of 50-percent of its available power to the rear wheels. Still, that extra help at the rear...

Australia gets a 2020 BMW M340i Pure special model BMW Australia is launching a new market-specific model – the 2020 BMW M340i Pure. The special variant of the G20 3 Series is slotted between the new M340i Pure between the plug-in 330e and performance-focused M340i. Priced at 94,900 AUSD, the Pure is $10,000 cheaper than the $104,900 BMW M340i. Under the hood, the 2020 BMW M340i Pure is powered by the B58 3.0 liter six-cylinder engine producing 384 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. The power is sent to the road via an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-biased xDrive all-wheel-drive system. As a result, the BMW M340i Pure can complete the 0-to-100km/h sprint in 4.4 seconds. German version of the BMW M340i featured here Standard equipment in the Pure includes 19-inch w...

BMW Design Boss touches on a Porsche 911-fighting 6 Series When the BMW 8 Series was first announced, fans had visions of a 911-fighting coupe that its predecessor, the 6 Series, never was. The reason for that wide-eyed optimism was the 8 Series’ spec sheet. It’s shorter, wider and lower than the 6er, while also more high-tech and based on a more dynamic chassis. So it was assumed it’d be closer to a 911-fighter than the old car. However, in reality, the 8 Series is more of a big, luxury GT, to the chagrin of many enthusiasts. If you’re one of them, there might be some room for new optimism, as BMW’s design boss recently made a remark regarding a 911-fighting 6 Series to slot underneath the 8er. According to this new report from Autocar, Adrian van Hooydonk...

SPIED: Rolls-Royce Ghost spotted looking sportier than ever before We know the next-gen Rolls-Royce Ghost is coming soon, slated for a Summer reveal, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that more and more spy photos are surfacing. That said, we’re always happy to look at more and see if we can notice any new details. The new photos that have just hit the internet-machine show off a next-gen Ghost doing some camouflaged testing on the Nurburgring, looking sportier than ever before. (We don’t own the spy photos but see them here) Now, I want to point out, before the people in Goodwood shoot me at down for calling a Rolls-Royce sporty looking, it is at the ‘Ring, the most famous place in the world for testing sporty cars. While a Rolls will never see the smooth tar...

2020 BMW 320d 48V: No manual transmission, prices rise significantly One of the only new BMW 3 Series offered with a manual transmission was the BMW 320d. But a year after its market introduction, the G20 diesel will loose its six-speed manual gearbox. The introduction of the 48V mild hybrid system will also bring the eight-speed automatic transmission as the only choice for the BMW 320d. Furthermore, the new technology will increase the base price of the car. If the BMW 320d G20 Sedan was previously available with a manual box from 40,450 euros, the base price now rises to 43,450 euros. In addition to the now standard eight-speed automatic transmission, the 48-volt on-board electrical system certainly also contributes to the price increase. Yet an increase of over 7 percent so sh...

Bespoke is Rolls-Royce — 2019 Marks Record Year for Bespoke Rollers Rolls-Royce is famously one of the most creative automakers in the world, if not the absolute most creative of them all. As a Rolls-Royce customer, the sky is the limit when it comes building your luxury car. Actually, safety and emissions regulations are really the limits but you get the idea. Rolls’ team of Bespoke craftsmen and women use cars as blank canvases for your wildest automotive dreams and last year was a record year for Rollers custom-tailored by those very talented artists. Rolls-Royce sold 5,152 cars last year, a sales record in the brand’s 116-year history. Among those cars sold, almost all of them were custom-tailored by the brand’s Bespoke division. That’s not entirely surprisin...

Gabriel Wickbold turns the BMW 745Le hybrid into an art car In January, BMW Brazil brings to a pop-up store a BMW 745Le hybrid customized by the São Paulo photographer and an exponent in the artistic world – Gabriel Wickbold. In November last year, as part of the recent partnership with BMW, the photographer’s work also illustrated the brand’s concept store on the famous avenue Georges V, in Paris, in the French capital. The artist has given the luxury sedan a colorful paint job with which it could almost qualify as a BMW Art Car. The look of the vehicle is somewhat reminiscent of Jeff Koons’ BMW Art Car, which also plays with the subject of speed and exudes a lot of dynamism even when stationary. The basis for the luxurious art project is a BMW 745Le wit...

BMW M Motorsport and BMW Team RLL heading to Daytona 24 Hours This coming weekend sees BMW M Motorsport and BMW Team RLL start the 2020 season of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series). Traditionally the season kicks off with a real endurance classic, the 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) from 25th to 26th January. BMW Team RLL, which will contest the IMSA series with two BMW M8 GTEs, is heading to the first highlight of the 2020 racing year with a lot of momentum. Last year, the team took the top spot in the GTLM class. In terms of drivers, BMW Team RLL employs John Edwards (USA) and Jesse Krohn (FIN) in the #24 car again. At Daytona they will receive support from last year’s winner Augusto Farfus (BRA) and Chaz Mostert (AUS). The other three winners from last year wi...

BMW recalling 357,000 vehicles to replace Takata front air bag inflators BMW is recalling nearly 357,000 older vehicles in the United States to replace Takata front air bag inflators. The inflators are among 10 million sold to 14 automakers that Takata is recalling. According to the recall notice, the BMWs recalled all have inflators that were used to replace older ones until permanent replacements were ready. The first recall covers about 293,000 3-Series cars from 2000 through 2006. The second covers nearly 60,000 3 Series and 1 Series cars from 2006 through 2012. Also included are X1, X3, X5 and X6 SUVs from as early as 2007 to as late as 2015. The third recall includes just over 4,000 X5 and X6 SUVs from 2007 to 2012. The same recall notice says that Takata used ammonium nitrat...

Rare gem: BMW ALPINA B12 5.7 Coupe with manual gearbox This rare BMW ALPINA B12 5.7 Coupe based on the E31 8 Series is up for auction at the RM Sotheby’s Youngtimer Collection in Paris. The E31 series is already an automotive classic, highly sought after by fans and collectors all over the world. It can only be better if it was originally produced in a limited series, such as this mindblowing ALPINA B12 5.7 Coupe. This special ALPINA 8 Series used the 850CSi V12-powered version. The 12-cylinder powerplant under the code S70B56 had a total displacement of 5.6 liters, but specially for the ALPINA B12 5.7, as its name signals, the cylinder block has been bored out to increase displacement by 0.1 liters up to 5.7 liters or 5,646 cubic centimeters. This operation resulted in an increa...

Paul Walker’s BMW E36 M3 Lightweight cars sold for up to $350,000 Late last year we were telling you that if you’re in the market for a rare BMW E36 M3 Lightweight model you might want to check out a certain Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auction. Well, the aforementioned auction took place this past weekend and it had no less than five of those already rare cars lined-up for sale. The best part? They also belonged to a car movie icon, Paul Walker. That’s right, the man known for driving Skylines was also a fan of the E36 M3. Well, as expected, all cars were sold for really nice price tags. All of them were grabbed in a hurry, with the most expensive model fetching no less than $350,000. This one had the lowest mileage of the five, with just 4,600 on the clock (7,402 km)...

Video: BMW M8 Competition Review wants more of everything M The BMW M8 Competition is available in three different guises. You have the Coupe, the Convertible and the Gran Coupe models lined-up nicely for every taste out there. There are also, as coincidence has it, the fastest cars the Bavarian brand ever made. Their figures are astounding and some might argue these are proper supercars to some level or, at least, cars capable of keeping up with supercars. All that performance is impressive, of course, but for some it may not be enough. The guys from Lovecars, a team that includes famous Tiff Needell, took the M8 Competition in both Coupe and Convertible guises out for a spin. This week, they published their review of the cars and somehow found them a bit short on the performance side ...

VIDEO: The BMW M340i Touring is Unobtanium for Americans There are a great many cars offered in Europe that aren’t offered here in the ‘States. Most of them aren’t of much concern, such as a lot of superminis and diesel hatchbacks. However, some of them genuinely bum us Americans out, such as the BMW M340i Touring, which is essentially Unobtanium for American BMW enthusiasts. In this new video from Joe Achilles, we check the M340i Touring out and get even more annoyed that it’s not available here. When I first drove the BMW M340i, I felt that it was maybe a bit too calm and collected to wear an M badge. While I’m in the minority in that regard, it’s a feeling I still have. In fact, I have an M340i sedan press car as we speak, for the second time, so m...

SPIED: Can we see the 4 Series Convertible’s new grille in spy photos? It seems as if BMW has been doing a lot of testing for the upcoming 4 Series as of late. Spy photos just keep surfacing, giving us little hints and glimpses at the brand’s next two-door. In these latest photos, we see the drop-top version doing some camouflaged testing and it’s looking better each time we see it. (We don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here) While this 4 Series test mule is still pretty heavily covered in camouflage, it’s more exposed than we’ve ever seen before. So we can see its new headlights very clearly and we can even see some of its front end through the camo. For instance, we can sort of see the lower half of what we think is the Kidney Grille under the...

2020 MINI Cooper SE – A Walkaround Video Showing The Design While the driving impressions of the 2020 MINI Cooper SE are still under embargo, we can at least share with you our first walkaround video of the electric MINI. The international media launch took place in Miami, Florida where we had the chance to sample the first production series MINI electric car. The 2020 MINI Cooper SE is based on the current generation MINI Cooper and from distance, it can be easily be mistaken for a “conventional car.” Cosmetically, The MINI Cooper SE appears much like a regular MINI Cooper 2 door hatch but is adorned with a lot of yellow accents, unique badging and a charge port instead of a gas cap. An additional 319 lbs were added when you compare to a standard MINI and it has a curb weig...

BMW Exterior Mirror Design: A visual history of the last 30 years BMW has a tradition of designing beautiful and stylish exterior mirrors. From the early ’90s to the present day, I virtually look back and examine the history of some of the most attractive and varied designs in this respect. Exterior mirrors are a highly important equipment on any car. They became relevant after the invention of the first automobile. As speed and vehicle performance increased, the need to acknowledge the action behind the car before committing to maneuvers became so stringent. On BMW models, the presence of exterior mirrors can be traced back to the old 3/15 which appeared in 1927. Nowadays, exterior mirrors are a sophisticated piece of equipment. Depending on the chosen configuration, they can fo...

Santiago E-Prix: Maximilian Günther takes the win for BMW i Andretti Motorsport In a thrilling race, Maximilian Günther got his first win for BMW i Andretti Motorsport in the Santiago E-Prix. In the final lap, Günther pulled an overtaking maneuver in the #28 BMW iFE.20 to take the victory. The 22-year-old claimed the first win of his Formula E career in only his third race for the team. In doing so, he also became the youngest winner ever in the series. The 25 points scored took BMW i Andretti Motorsport to the top of the Team standings. Alexander Sims (GBR) crashed out in Santiago. Sims started for the 15th place on the grid and was ultimately forced to retire after making contact with the crash barriers. Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director): “That was an ext...

MINI Cooper SE – Technical Details and Specifications We just came back from Miami where we had the chance to test drive the all-new MINI Cooper SE. The electric MINI will go on sale this Spring, while test drives embargo will expire on January 29th. But ahead of the driving impressions, we sat down with the MINI engineering and product team to talk about the new electric car. Some of the details were previously known from our ride review, while others are fresh off the press. Motor Technology What kind of motor does the MINI SE use (e.g. AC induction, permanent magnet synchronous reluctance, or a hybrid synchronous motor as used in the i3, etc.)? The motor is same as used in a BMW i3 mounted for front wheel drive operation. Is the current i3 motor the same as the original one? Ye...

How to choose the best BMW dealership for your next purchase It’s no secret that most Americans are not fond of the car buying process. It’s not that Americans don’t love driving home in a spangly new set of wheels, it’s that most of us are put off by pushy car dealerships who, understandably, have to make their quota. We’ve all had our fair share of annoying sales pitches and overwhelming us with numbers and fees that just makes car buying stressful. However, it doesn’t always have to be so bad and, in fact, if you pick the right BMW dealership it can actually be quite enjoyable, especially if you get the right car. So here are our three top tips for picking the best BMW dealership for your next purchase. A Clean Facility This might sound a bit super...

BMW B58 six-cylinder engine wins second “10 Best Engines” award from WardsAuto For the second year in a row, the outstanding BMW B58 powerplant grabbed the 10 Best Engines from WardsAuto. The North American publications has recently announced the winners of the 2020 edition of the “10 Best Engines and Powertrains” award. The updated BMW B58 3.0-liter engine was among those to grab the laurels again. The jury was impressed by the efficient power delivery, the overall technical performance and the consistent application of the 6-cylinder unit across the BMW range of models. Tom Murphy, WardsAuto Managing Editor, highlighted the main strengths of the engine: “We tested this B58 inline six-cylinder turbo a year ago in the larger X5 and it won, with 335 hp. Now, just a yea...

BMW i4 Concept Reveal is BMW’s most important since the i3 Concept When BMW first unveiled the i3 Concept, it was a revolutionary look at what the future of personal urban mobility could be. It was bold and exciting, showing off a clear vision for BMW’s future. When the production i3 was finally revealed, it was so similar to its own concept, fans were at a loss for words. Since then, though, BMW has drastically slowed down. It’s yet to debut another car as bold or radical as the i3 Concept. However, the Bavarians may get another chance, with the upcoming BMW i4. According to our sources, the BMW i4 Concept — a close-to-production concept of the actual i4 road car — will make its debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show in just a few months time. That makes the Geneva...

VIDEO: Supercar Blondie drives the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R — Sounds Incredible When we first saw the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, our jaws dropped. It still is a gorgeous concept car, one that not only pays hommage to the original 3.0 CSL race car but also points towards BMW’s future. It’s a stunning thing and one that we all wish BMW would actually develop. Of course, that’s never going to happen but we can still dream, can’t we? Making us even more desperate for one is this new video from Supercar Blondie, who actually gets to drive the damn thing. Most concept cars barely run, never mind actually drive. Typically, they run enough so they can get on and off auto show/concours lawn stands. However, the BMW 3.0 CSL Ho...

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...