Auto and Cars

BMW M2 CS faster at Sachsenring than 911 Carerra S, AMG GT S, 718 Cayman GTS and R8 V10 The Auto Bild December 2019 edition will feature a track test with the new BMW M2 CS at the Sachsenring in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany. The test was performed way ahead of the official press drives, so it remains unclear whether the BMW M2 CS was a final production car or pre-production. What we do know is that it featured the six-speed manual transmission and the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. And the recorded times are quite interesting. Let’s start with the BMW M2 CS time as published by Auto Bild – 1:34.98 – which is just a bit over half a second faster than the M2 Competition on the same track. The M2 CS was weighed also and came in at 1532 kilograms. The standard sprint 0-100 km/h was tim...

Video: Rolls-Royce CEO introduces the Cullinan Black Badge Just as we reported a while back, yesterday Rolls-Royce unveiled the latest model offered with the Black Badge treatment, the Cullinan Black Badge. It’s a stunning machine, to be honest, one that comes with more power, better handling and a different feel altogether. For this launch, the CEO of Rolls-Royce, Torsten Müller-Ötvös sat in front of the camera and explained what led to the creation of this car and what sets it apart. Launched for the first time in 2016 on the Ghost and Wraith models, the decision to introduce the Black Badge treatment wasn’t taken lightly. As the CEO confides in the video posted below, there were some serious discussions going on behind closed doors as to whether this would be a good move. After all,...

VIDEO: How to create a feel-good atmosphere inside your new BMW The new BMW Operating System 7.0 is an all-rounding infotainment system which contains lots of clever and helping features. One of them is called “Caring Car” and its main purpose is to basically relax or energize the driver by adjusting climate, cabin lighting, audio settings and seats and choosing the adequate music to create a feel-good atmosphere inside the car. The “Caring Car” feature is available only in BMW OS 7.0-equipped models in conjunction with the BMW Live Cockpit Professional digital instrument cluster. It can be easily turned on or off from the main menu of the infotainment system. You need to select “CAR”, then click on “Caring Car” option. There are two mood-enhancement programs to choose from: Vitalize a...

BMW offers 50 i3 cars for Bidirectional Charging Management project The wider spread of electric vehicles brings up a number of opportunities for all of us. One of the most interesting topics discussed related to the EV phenomena is the possibility of using the battery cells located inside the cars for other purposes as well. Like the bidirectional charging technology. BMW has teamed up with other companies and institutions to bring to life the Bidirectional Charging Management project which is now entering a new phase. The project aims to develop technological solutions for electric mobility aimed at diversifying the way it is used. The main goal is to find a way to interlink vehicles, charging infrastructure and power grids for the first time in a way that facilitates the widest possi...

BMW starts production of the new 2 Series Gran Coupe at the Leipzig plant BMW celebrates the production kick-off for the first-ever 2 Series Gran Coupe (F44) at the group’s Leipzig facility. The newest addition to the compact model portfolio now joins the new 1 Series, which is being assembled at the site since July this year. Hans-Peter Kemser, Leipzig plant manager said on the occasion: “We are proud to produce the new four-door coupe at the Leipzig plant for the entire world market. This new vehicle leads to a significant increase in volume.” The BMW Leipzig plant, located in the northern part of Germany, is accelerating the process of becoming a competence facility for the BMW entry-level compact models. With the advent of the 2 Series Gran Coupe, the production for the new model w...

Over 78,000 orders have been placed on the new MINI Cooper SE The first ever fully electric car from MINI, the Cooper SE, seems to be a success even before reaching dealerships. MINI claimed that in the first weeks after the car was unveiled, they already had 30,000 orders for one from interested customers around the world. Today, that number is over 78,000. That’s what the CEO of the BMW Group said during a recent meeting in Munich, going over the financial results of the company in the first three quarters of 2019. Oliver Zipse took over the reigns at BMW this year and has a lot of work to do, to keep the company competitive and take the next evolutionary steps. His goal is to offer a good mix of traditional, internal combustion engines, hybrids and electric vehicles, and the offensiv...

EXCLUSIVE: First real-life video of 2020 BMW M2 CS We bring you the first real-life video of the 2020 BMW M2 CS, courtesy of BMW Belgium and Luxemburg and autofans.be. We have only seen the new M2 Clubsport model through official photos and videos, but now it’s time to see what the car looks like in real life. What sets the BMW M2 CS apart from the BMW M2 Competition model is a number of exterior upgrades, which include a carbon fibre roof and a carbon fibre-reinforced plastic bonnet with vents. The hood is about half the weight of the steel version found on the M2 Competition. Other changes include a carbon fiber splitter on the front bumper, a carbo-fiber boot spoiler and a new diffuser. On the inside, the M2 CS gets a pair of bucket seats lined with a mix of leather and Alcantara wi...

BMW claims electrification of auto industry is imminent The moment some people have been dreaming of for quite some time now has finally come. The electrification of cars and the entire auto industry is now imminent, according to BMW. Most car makers are doing their best to offer electric vehicles and hybrids of all sorts, not just because the regulations dictate they do so but also because the customers are starting to ask for such models more often than not. In a recent interview with Euractiv, BMW’s head of external affairs, Andreas Klugescheid said customer demand is rising and that will lead to more choice in the field of electrified cars. “Our customers, what do they do? The good news is that they are starting to buy electric vehicles,” Klugescheid said. “People start to buy these...

OPINION: BMW Gesture Control really improves in-car operation The BMW Gesture Control system was first premiered on the G11/G12 7 Series generation that was introduced back in 2015. The industry and journalists were rather skeptical about the practical utility of such a feature. The latest automotive developments prove that they were wrong to consider it a marketing gimmick. BMW has been a pioneer in the field of in-car infotainment. The BMW Connected saga started in 1998, when the Bavarian constructor premiered the BMW Telematics, which was the tagline for marketing the BMW Assist package. The first car to be fitted with the new technology was the E38 generation 7 Series. In 2001, with the advent of the E65 7 Series, BMW ushered in an all-new infotainment concept, which was to become ...

BMW 330is Edition: Limited-production model exclusively for South Africa The BMW South African subsidiary has a pretty rich history of exclusive and special edition models. After the classic 325is developed on the E30 model generation, in 2020 BMW South Africa will launch a limited-run model based on the new G20 3 Series: the 330is Edition. The special 330is Edition will celebrate in market launch in South Africa in the course of 2020. It will be assembled in a limited production of just 300 units. The new 330is Edition was officially revealed at the recent BMW M Festival organized on the Kyalami Grand Prix circuit. Details are scarce at the moment and more will probably be disclosed at the official launch of the model. Basically, the 330is Edition will be developed on the underpinning...

VIDEO: Comfort Access for a convenient way to get in and out of your BMW The next chapter on the list of useful BMW How-To videos shows us how to use the Comfort Access feature to get in and out of a BMW vehicle in a convenient and seamless way. Comfort Access uses radio frequency communication technology to detect the electronic key fob and its position relative to the car. When activated, this feature enables the driver and passenger to unlock and lock the BMW vehicle without the need of reaching for the car or pressing the outer door handles. The Comfort Access system, which is offered as an option on mostly all new BMW models, can be activated via the intuitive BMW OS 7.0 infotainment interface. To get the most out of this feature, select the option CAR on the main screen, then go ...

2019 LA AUTO SHOW: BMW M2 CS, M8 Gran Coupe, 2 Series Gran Coupe For BMW, this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show will be a busy event, with an avalanche of new models to be displayed at the North American motor salon kicking off on November 18th. BMW will celebrate the world premieres for the latest additions to its lineup. Up to now, 2019 has been a fruitful and rich year for the Bavarians, especially the last two months. BMW has already revealed online the new vehicles that are scheduled for official unveiling in Los Angeles. The BMW M GmbH high-performance division will mark an extensive presence at LAAS 2019, with a fleet of new models composed of the new BMW M8 Gran Coupe and M8 Competition Gran Coupe, followed by the X5 M/ X5 M Competition and X6 M/X6 M Competition and the recently sh...

2020 Performance COTY: BMW M2 Competition emerges 2nd ahead of Toyota Supra The Performance Car of the Year is a special event organized on a yearly basis by the US automotive magazine Road & Track. For choosing the 2020 winner of the contest, 11 sports cars were lined up. The BMW M2 Competition was one of them and, in the end, it managed to come as a surprising runner up in the final standings, given its opponents. The 2020 PCOTY title, as it is abbreviated, was awarded after some serious scrutiny of all 11 vehicles. The cars were put to test on the Northern California’s Thunderhill Raceway Park and, afterwards, covered the whole distance up to Lake Tahoe, on the demanding roads of Sierra Nevada. @machineswithsouls The eleven contenders battling the 2020 PCOTY title awarded by Road & ...

Video: BMW X4 M Competition gets tested on the track We’ve been hearing a lot about the track prowess of the BMW X4 M Competition, as more and more people get to drive, and even own one. The new M car from BMW has a hard task ahead, challenging seriously tough competition from Mercedes-AMG and Alfa Romeo. Yet given how good the reviews have been so far, I think it actually has a chance against those cars. The guys from The Straight Pipes took one on the track to see how it compares. That’s where you want your BMW X4 M Competition to be tested too, because it may very well be considered by many to be too stiff for normal use. That’s the thing with M cars though, they have to be able to provide a good experience both on and off the track. In the case of SUVs, I know racing them on a prope...

BMW developing with TenneT new charging strategy for electric cars With the help of digital integration and connectivity, BMW Group and power operator TenneT aim to completely change the way we charge electric vehicles. The charging process will take into account the status of the grid as to overcome possible overloads of the network, to minimize shortfalls and maximize the use of renewable energy sources. The project between the two companies makes use of the BMW i3’s already standard connectivity technology as to properly manage and time the charging process. For example, where there is a high rate of utilization of the power grid, charging may not be possible or work just at a limited level. After the supply bottleneck is overpassed and the grid reverts to normal usage values, charg...

Takata saga: BMW Australia issues safety warning for E46 3 Series owners The saga over the defective and faulty Takata airbags continues. Latest news on this subject comes from Australia where BMW found out that over 12,000 examples of the E46 3 Series sold between 1997 and 2000 could be equipped with potentially dangerous airbags coming from the Japanese manufacturer. Therefore, BMW Australia has issued a severe warning to customers that are currently driving E46 generation models manufactured between 1997 and 2000. Specifically, drivers are instructed to stop driving the car as there are multiple clues that the airbags could deploy accidentally and throw out metal shrapnels and debris which could result in life-threatening injuries or even death. According to the report, there are ex...

EXCLUSIVE: BMW M2 CS – First real life photos We teamed up with our friends at BMW Belgium to bring you the first, exclusive, real life photos of the new BMW M2 CS. We have only seen the new M2 Clubsport model through the lens of the official BMW photographers, but now it’s time to see what the car looks like in a regular setting. Our BMW M2 CS coverage can be found here, but in case you missed it, we will walk you through some of the high-level points. Let’s start with the engine found under the vented hood. The M engineers have fitted the BMW M2 CS with a slightly modified version of the S55 engine that powers the M2 Competition. That means it’s a 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline-six engine with 450 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. According to BMW, the M2 CS can get fro 0-60 mph in 4.0...

2020 BMW M2 CS Pricing in different markets The new 2020 BMW M2 CS is finally here. While not ready to go into the hands of BMW customers (March 2020), the new M2 CS is making a web debut, followed by an auto show launch on November 19th, 2019. Most of the details on the 2020 BMW M2 CS are well known by now, with just a few secrets left. Two of them are the unit allocation for the US market, as well as the MSRP. We already know that BMW plans to build around 2,200 units globally, so it’s fair to assume that a few hundred of them will come to America. In the end, this is the largest and most important market for ///M. But while the US pricing is still kept under wraps, the rest of the world has begun communicating the base price for the 2020 BMW M2 CS. So let’s take a look at some marke...

WALLPAPERS: 2020 BMW M2 CS – Download Now! The latest and hottest BMW release of the year is the limited edition BMW M2 CS. The standard M2 Competition is already seriously aggressive looking, with its swollen fenders, big wheels and large front air intakes. So the M2 CS’ job was to take an already angry looking car and crank things up to eleven. The car is be a more aggressive with a subtle carbon-fiber lip spoiler on the bootlid, a carbon-fiber diffuser, a carbon splitter, and a vented bonnet. On the inside, the BMW M2 CS does have a bit more of a special feeling than the M Competition, thanks to all of its Alcantara and the CS-specific center console (which lacks a cubby space). A set of new 19-inch gold wheels are paired with Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires and M Sport brakes. Though, i...

TEST DRIVE: Porsche Taycan Turbo S – A Brutally Fast Electric Sportscar Not too long ago when someone mentioned electric cars, most people thought of a hybrid, or more specifically, a Toyota Prius. Underpowered, underwhelming and quite honestly, not very desirable or exciting. That is, unless you get your thrills by achieving great MPG numbers. Then Tesla arrived on the scene and really smashed the concept of EVs being not much more than glorified golf carts. They offered long-range, desirable performance sedans and crossovers that were capable of recharging at very high rates, much faster than any other EV was capable of. It took some time, but the legacy auto manufacturers are finally starting to catch up. Audi and Jaguar have already released their first all-electric offerings, the e...

Cullinan accounts for nearly half of all Rolls-Royce sales so far in 2019 It’s fair to say that many people were terrified when Rolls-Royce confirmed it was working on their first SUV ever – The Cullinan. Even though the model perfectly fits the brand, some were quick to dismiss this move as a simple attempt to cash in on the trends of today. Well, it turned out that the decision to create a ‘high-riding’ vehicle was a good one. You only have to look at the sales figures. The BMW Group published its financial records for the first three quarters of 2019 and things are looking not just good, better than expected. In the Rolls-Royce range there have been some rather serious and interesting changes of hierarchy. The Cullinan, which was only on sale from the beginning of the year, is now a ...

First video of the new 2020 BMW M2 CS BMW has just released the first video of the new 2020 BMW M2 CS. This is a car that’s been teased, hinted and spied for years now. It’s also a car that BMW fans have been impatiently waiting for ever since the standard M2 came to be. And now, it’s finally here. The all-new BMW M2 CS is the fastest, most hardcore, most pure-driving 2 Series variant yet and its sole purpose is to be a scalpel among machetes. To make the M2 CS as scalpel sharp as possible, BMW needed to lighten it as much as possible. Which is actually more important than you might expect for an M2. So it gets a carbon fiber hood, a carbon fiber front splitter and a new carbon fiber roof help drop the curb weight of the M2 CS significantly. The roof has also been made with a new sandw...

New BMW F 900 R and F 900 XR Unveiled I’ve long anticipated the day that BMW Motorrad’s middleweights, which are often overlooked, were replaced with new and exciting offerings. Offerings that would be suitable to compete with the likes of Ducati and Triumph, among others, in a very contentious market segment. The F 800 R presented little appeal when compared with Ducati’s Monster 797, Triumph’s Street Triple and the Scrambler by Ducati of comparable displacement. As for the incomprehensibly old F 800 GT, it faired even more poorly when compared with newer entrants in its sub-segment, like Ducati’s smaller displacement Multistrada. Finally, BMW has an answer. Better late than never. Especially for those of us whom genuinely love the authenticity, the easy of use and accessible power tha...

Video: BMW M135i xDrive Review focuses on tech The new BMW M135i xDrive is arriving in dealerships as we speak and it comes with a lot of changes compared to the old model. Initially launched as part of the second-generation BMW 1 Series, the original M135i was a rather peculiar bird in the segment. It was the only hot hatch with a six-cylinder engine and a rear-wheel drive layout. That’s all gone now and instead we have a new model that’s supposed to be better and more practical while losing just a fraction of the fun offered by its predecessor. Rory Reid’s might be familiar to you. He was part of one of the efforts done by BBC to revive the Top Gear show after the departure of Clarkson, Hammond and May. He proved time and time again that he knows cars and is a true gearhead over the ...

BMW invests in ELISE start-up, aiming to streamline development process BMW announced yesterday an investment in a start-up aimed at streamlining development processes: ELISE. Through the BMW i Ventures investment arm, the BMW Group is now a part of the company, which has been developing generative engineering software aimed at automating the product development process. ELISE is a deep-tech startup and is planning on using the funds raised recently to speed up product development and market entry. “ELISE enables engineers to automate multiple time-consuming steps of the product design process,” said Tobias Jahn, principal at BMW i Ventures.  “We observed high efficiency gains during the initial usage at the BMW Group and are convinced that such achievements are also possible at scale t...

SPIED: 2021 BMW M5 LCI spotted next to its pre-LCI brother The forthcoming 2021 BMW 5 Series LCI has been quite a frequent sight lately. Recently, a test prototype of the LCI F90 M5 high-performance saloon has been spotted alongside its current, pre-LCI generation sibling. Until now, spy photographers were able to scoop test prototypes for the 5 Series LCI in various body styles and versions, such as Sedan, Touring, M550i/M550d, or M5. The latest spyshots reveal the upcoming revamped M5 sitting along with the current M5 model series. While you might be inclined to say they look virtually the same, take into account the LCI version gets all-new headlights inspired the 7 Series, completely reshaped front air intakes and what appear to be slightly taller kidneys for the radiator grille. I...

LEAKED: The 2020 BMW M2 CS with 450 horsepower Unfortunately some magazines (and this one) jumped the gun and the all-new 2020 BMW M2 CS has been leaked exactly 24 hours before the embargo expiration. Our full details are coming up, but for now, let’s quickly recap what’s new on the BMW M2 CS. It gets a carbon fiber hood, a carbon fiber front splitter and a new carbon fiber roof help drop the curb weight of the M2 CS significantly. The roof has also been made with a new sandwich design that not only decreases weight and lowers the car’s center of gravity but it also increases the car’s structural rigidity. There are new ball joints and elastomeric bearings added to the front and rear axles. The 2020 BMW M2 CS has been fitted with Adaptive M Suspension as standard, as well as M Sport bra...

BMW M760Li shows 12-cylinder supremacy in acceleration challenge against 750i This acceleration test aims to reveal an undeniable reality. When it comes to cars, adding more cylinders and extra displacement to an engine will inherently result in better performance. The 750i is undoubtedly no match for the supreme BMW M760Li model. The journalists from Dutch automotive publication AutoTop were curious to find out which version is the fastest: the M760Li or the 750i? While the result may seem obvious, it is beneficial to remind that the 8-cylinder 7 Series has received a pretty impressive power boost starting with the LCI generation. The 750i xDrive that took part in the test is put into motion by the 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine under codename N63B44T3, which features a 90-degr...

BMWBLOG Podcast Episode 4 — Our own Chuck Vossler talks EVs, Tesla Model 3 and Old-School Bimmers Well, episode 4 is here of our podcast and we have another guest for you. This time, it’s our own Chuck Vossler. While he isn’t a full-time writer for BMWBLOG (he’s a much more important human for that), he does contribute to our site every now and again. He’s also one of our resident EV experts, as he’s owned a few over the years and is an EV enthusiast. He’s also the owner of a BMW i3 and a Tesla Model 3 Performance. Don’t fret, though, he’s also a proper petrol-head. We talk a lot about EVs in this episode, especially about the differences between the BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3. The reason for that is not because they’re two comparable cars — because they’re not, they’re very different — b...

Tuning Preview: Manhart BMW M8, X5 M, X6 M and X7 announced German tuning shop Manhart Performance has just released a teaser featuring some of their upcoming tuning projects based on new BMW M models. The tuning professionals from Wuppertal are known for taking the M cars to the extreme and the new projects are likely to follow suit. Firstly, we have the Manhart MH8 800 based on the BMW M8. The power increase for this particular model is expected to give the sports coupe around 800 hp. The first two photos show the front and rear of the coupe, which is already factory-blessed with 625 hp and carries the title of the fastest series BMW ever. With the 175 additional horsepower, the 3-second mark for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, should be easily achievable. Secondly, Manhart Performanc...