Auto and Cars

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...

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...