Auto and Cars

BMW Electrified Car Sales Still Lag Behind Tesla BMW has a pretty good sales year in 2019, if you haven’t already heard. In fact, the BMW Group as a whole sold more vehicles than any other premium brand. Having said that, while having a record year for electrified vehicles as well, the Bavarian brand’s plug-in models still have a long way to go, in terms of being sales successes. In this new article from Clean Technica, we take a look at the sales between BMW and its main rivals, such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Tesla and Jaguar. In terms of global, outright sales, the BMW Group dominated the competition. However, if you break things down a bit, the core BMW brand didn’t sell as well as Mercedes-Benz. Also, while the Bavarians claim that their electrified mod...

2020 Santiago ePrix: A Detailed Race Analysis of BMW’s Win Young German driver Maximilian Guenther and the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team emerged victorious at Round 3 of the 2019-2020 Formula E World Championship at Santiago, Chile with a scintillating performance that saw Guenther make an overtaking move for the lead not once, but twice, to make it two straight victories for BMW Andretti. Guenther also became the youngest Formula E race winner in the history of the sport. Going into Round 3, expectations were heightened for the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team. The team was coming off a dominating victory in Round 2 at Ad Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, courtesy of British driver Alexander Sims, who started from pole position and was never challenged all the way up until he took the checkered...

Video: BMW M8 drag races R8, AMG GT63 S, Model X and 911 The time has come to put the fastest car BMW ever made to the test against some really stiff competition. The BMW M8 Competition is, as BMW claims, the most powerful and fastest car in a straight line they ever put up for sale. Therefore, it has to go up some serious competition, one of these cars actually being recognized as a supercar. What will happen? Well, the guys from CarWow tried to find out. The BMW M8 Competition has 625 PS and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal. It also comes with all-wheel drive and a claimed 0-62 mph of 3.2 seconds. Those are impressive numbers but the cars lining up alongside it here are mostly even faster in theory. The Audi R8 is the biggest threat here, the supercar from Ingolstadt havi...

Check Out This Hope Green Wrapped G20 BMW 3 Series So far, we’re big fans of the new G20-generation BMW 3 Series. It’s been an improvement over the previous F30-generation in every single way; both objectively and subjectively. It’s more fun to drive, faster, more engaging, packed with better tech, better built and, one can’t forget, better looking. The new G20 is actually one of the better looking 3 Series’ in history, with its E46-style notched headlights and funky Hofmeister Kink. Like all great 3 Series’, though, it looks best in interesting colors, such as this “Hope Green” wrapped G20. In these photos, we see a wrap job that makes a G20 BMW 3 Series very, very green. The body color is something called “Hope Green”, which ...

This BMW X5 looks stunning in Verde Ermes Individual color One of the best BMW Individual colors we’ve seen recently is Verde Ermes. Last week, it was a BMW M340i Touring that graced us with the stunning color. A few days later, we posted BMW X5 on our Instagram page featuring the very same color. This particular BMW X5 in Verde Ermes hails from Breeman BMW, a dealership in Rotterdam, Netherlands. BMW Individual paintwork guarantees an impression of exclusivity at first glance. In some cases, the application of up to seven layers of paint and the addition of special color pigments make for intriguing iridescent effects, exceptional brilliance and unmatched depth. It’s the very same case with Verde Ermes, a deep green color that shines under bright lights and is subdued when...

VIDEO: Let Us Show You the Gorgeous BMW M850i Gran Coupe Since it made its debut, I’ve personally felt that the BMW M850i Gran Coupe has been the brand’s best looking car since the 6 Series Gran Coupe. In fact, I think the new 8er is even better looking than its lesser-numbered predecessor. My first experience with the 8 Series Gran Coupe in general was a few months back, during BMW’s “Test Fest” in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Though my drive was brief, I immediately felt that it was the best iteration of the 8 Series. More recently, I had one for a week to test out, over Christmas break. During my week with it, the BMW M850i Gran Coupe only further cemented my opinion that it’s the best non-M version of the 8er. Because the entire 8 Series lineup is...

ALPINA explains the extensive pre-production testing phase Prior to entering production, new ALPINA models are subjected to an extensive array of endurance tests and fine-tuning procedures. Through these tests, ALPINA aims to deliver an outstanding performance machine that meets the highest standard of the Buchloe-based tuner. The camouflaged ALPINA test prototypes are deployed into various locations all over the globe. For example, the pre-series vehicles endure extreme heat conditions in the Death Valley, where temperatures often exceeds a scorching 50 degrees Celsius. They also undergo thorough cold weather testing sessions in the Rocky Mountains, near the Pikes Peak. For the chassis and high-speed development, the future vehicles are deployed on the Pista di Nardo circuit, in Italy....

BMW to support one million children gain access to education by 2025 Today is the United Nations International Day of Education and BMW decided to make an announcement to mark the occasion properly. The German group will be supporting one million children and young people get access to educational projects around the world by 2025. BMW had already been involved in various similar projects around the world but today the Munich-based technology company decided to ramp up its efforts. On a global scale, this will be a small contribution considering UNESCO estimates over 260 million children still don’t have access to education. Even so, some action is better than nothing and the BMW Group will be focusing on supporting one million children through targeted educational projects by 202...

With the MINI Electric in Alps: from Munich to Sölden without recharge The new all-electric MINI Cooper SE is the ideal companion for short city getaways. On a single battery recharge, you can leave Munich to visit the beautiful Alpine winter resort of Sölden, which is precisely 200 kilometers away, in Austria. Depending on road and weather conditions, the new MINI Cooper SE will boast a pure electric somewhere between 235 kilometers and 270 kilometers, so the 200-kilometer trip from the Bavarian capital city up to Austrian ski resort of Sölden shouldn’t be a problem to cover without recharging the battery. In the new MINI Cooper SE, the high-voltage Li-Ion battery benefits from a state-of-the-art compact construction. The floor architecture allows for an optimal instal...

BMW Abu Dhabi dealership exhibits a BMW X5 xDrive40i with AC Schnitzer accessories The new BMW X5 xDrive40i with AC Schnitzer aero accessories is the new star at the renowned Abu Dhabi dealership. The Bavarian SAV is featured in a decisively powerful M Spot package and the exclusive Phytonic Blue exterior colour, which first debuted the G01 X3. This shade extracts the best of the shape of the X5 and further individualize its muscular design. The M Sport package is used to make the X5 look even more powerful. The mighty kidney grille is fully covered in chrome, rendering the business class SAV an elegantly unique aura. The car sits on a pair of 22-inch code 742 M alloy wheels with bicolor finish and double-spoke design. What impresses most on the exterior of the petrol engine-powered X5...

Richard Hammond bought the BMW-powered Morgan Plus Six As a car enthusiast, it’s hard to not love Morgan. It’s a hilariously quirky and unusual automaker that makes some of the most interesting cars on the planet. It uses old-fashioned techniques, such as using wood for some of the body construction, combined with new-school techniques, such as using aluminum chassis. As BMW enthusiasts, though, Morgan holds a special place in our hearts, as its cars often use BMW engines. This latest one, the Morgan Plus Six, uses a BMW B58 engine and The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond has just taken delivery of one. Hammond’s specific Morgan Plus Six was spec’d by the DriveTribe audience, as he previously posted a video of his ordering process and let viewers choose options...

BMW X2 M35i joins Pure models line-up in Australia The guys from BMW Australia might be on to something with their Pure models. After initially unveiling Pure models solely for the M3 and M4 the people in the Land Down Under realized they might be selling more cars by applying this recipe to a wider range. Therefore, they started configuring cars with less optional features on so that they could sell them at a lower price. The latest to join the bandwagon is the BMW X2 M35i. As you may already know, prices for luxury cars in Australia are pretty high. At the same time, most cars come already equipped with a lot of features. However, some people prefer to save some money, if possible, and go for something cheaper as they don’t need all the tech a BMW can offer. That’s what th...

BMW i8 vs Acura NSX vs Lexus LC500h vs Polestar 1 — Motor Trend Test We recently said goodbye to the BMW i8, as we learned of its upcoming departure from BMW’s lineup. When the i8 first hit the scene back in 2014, it was mind-blowing, thanks to its sci-fi looks and hybrid powertrain. Now, though, it actually seems a bit old-hat (except for its looks, which are still from another world) compared to its more modern competitors. In a recent comparison test from Motor Trend, we take a look at the BMW i8 Coupe, the Lexus LC500h, Polestar1 and newly refreshed Acura NSX. All of which are high-performance hybrids and all of which are very expensive. But which one is best? Surprisingly, the BMW i8 doesn’t finish last in this test. We won’t spoil all of the results but we will s...

Norway Postcards: BMW X3 joins Traveller’s Tales team to help explore Norway “Norway Postcards” is the latest creation of Traveller’s Tales, in which the duo consisting of Stanly and Katya have explored the fascinating Scandinavian country at the wheel of a BMW X3. Norway is fascinating and vivid country with breathtaking landscapes and rewarding roads that fulfill the passionate’s desire for driving pleasure. The fjord regions, the Atlantic Ocean Road or the bendy passes across the country make it an ideal destination for explorers and frequent travelers. The creative couple behind “Traveller’s Tales”, Stanly and Katya, embarked on a 3,000 km journey to create a new movie in their famous travel show. This time, the chosen country was Norway. Th...

SPIED: Forthcoming G23 BMW 4 Series Convertible spotted once again The new generation of the BMW 4 Series Convertible will be premiered this year towards falls. Till then, camouflaged test prototypes are continuing the street experimental phase. The start of production for the upcoming G23 generation of the open-top 4 Series is planned for November 2020, with market launch following shortly thereafter. Recently, a camouflaged G23 prototype has been scooped in Germany, revealing more interesting details of the exterior styling (as we don’t own the photos, you can view them here). What if the BMW Concept 4 had even bigger grilles? We note that the heavy cladding of the early test vehicles has been shed off and now we get to see more of the Concept 4-inspired design philosophy. The ...

Video: 2020 BMW 7 Series Reviewed against a 2001 model One of the biggest criticisms the new BMW 7 Series had to deal with when it was launched was, of course, the new front fascia. Namely, the new kidney grilles. They are pretty big compared to anything else BMW has ever done. They could even give the new BMW X7 a run for its money. Therefore, a lot of people have rushed to the past of the Bavarian car maker to find cars that had ‘normal’ kidney grilles. Going back to the 1990s you’ll find probably the most loved 7 Series BMW ever made: the E38 generation. That car wrote history in a number of ways but the biggest advantage it has over all other 7ers is the cool factor. That cool factor didn’t just happen over night though, it was the results of the car being fe...

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...