BMW i8 to Move (Silently) Forward Without M Variant

Even if you're not a super spy sent on a mission your superiors deem impossible, you should still be interested in the upcoming 2014 BMW i8. Besides showing off its extremely exotic styling, the i8 features a plethora of exciting technology that's put to use to provide a compelling and sure-to-be-exciting driving experience.

Not only that, it's capable of doing all of this while spitting out zero emissions because it's a plug-in hybrid-electric car. It wasn't always going to be solely an electric machine, however, as there was talk of an M-variant that would change the car from silently mean and green to wicked loud and gasoline swilling.

Rumor had it that the i8 M, M8, 8M, ...car would feature either an eight or ten-cylinder engine. Now though it seems any plan for a fuel-only version has been put to rest, according to CAR.
Still, there's a whole lot to get excited about with the 2014 BMW i8. Yes it will be offered with a torque-vectoring powertrain, but the i8 driver will also be able to switch between a zero-emissions front-drive mode, a rear-wheel-drive mode, or an all-wheel-drive mode. If you want to cruise along silently, you can run the BMW i8 for up to 20 miles without requiring help from the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine.

A more electrifying idea is to run both the electric and gasoline engines at the same time. This way you make full use of the available 393 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Mash the throttle in this mode and the run from 0-60 miles per hour should happen in well under five seconds. Keep that go-pedal pushed and you will eventually run into the 156 mile per hour top speed.

Courtesy of Motor Authority

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BMW at Auto Shanghai 2013. BMW Concept X4.

BMW and Paris Photo Celebrate 10 Year Partnership with BMW M1 Art Car Display

At the inaugural fair of Paris Photo at LA’s Paramount Pictures Studios, BMW is proud to present the M1 BMW Art Car by Andy Warhol, created by the pop artist in 1979, as well as rare making of footage of this work. Originally raced in Le Mans, Warhol in his own words meant to “give a vivid depiction of speed. If a car is really fast, all contours and colors will become blurred.”

Since 1975, prominent artists from throughout the world have designed BMW automobiles of their times, all making extremely different artistic statements. The seventeen exhibits created for the Art Car Collection until now include works by well-known artists such as Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Olafur Eliasson and Jeff Koons. The Art Cars reflect the cultural and historical development of art, design, and technology and have been presented by major museums around the world, including the Guggenheim and the Louvre.

BMW will also present a mini series of Burlesque Style Photos with the 6 Series Gran Coupe by internationally renowned German photographer Uwe Düttmann. Four photos showcasing the 650i Gran Coupe in a retro setting celebrate film noir as well as the extraordinary sensuality of the best of burlesque vis-à-vis the high-tech design of one of the most advanced automobiles of our time.

Two years ago at a Hollywood studio and a private movie set outside of Los Angeles, BMW realized its idea of showcasing the 650i Gran Coupé in this unique manner. As befits the character of the shoot, 15 different photographs inside and outside the Gran Coupé present the two models acting out signature burlesque poses. The pictures will be presented within an environment paying tribute to their origins. Returning back home to LA, they are exhibited at the fair for the very first time.

“BMW is pleased to be involved in the inaugural Paris Photo LA,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “We are particularly looking forward to bringing out Andy Warhol art car and debuting our new photos.”

BMW and Paris Photo celebrate the tenth anniversary of their partnership. As it has in Paris, BMW will provide VIP shuttle service during Paris Photo Los Angeles. For many years, the BMW Group has worked together with great photographers from Bettina Rheims and Bryan Adams to Karl Lagerfeld. The company has been involved in the arts for over four decades with hundreds of initiatives worldwide. In 2005, at the opening of Zaha Hadid’s BMW Leipzig plant, BMW donated its unique collection of commissioned photographs by Thomas Demand, Wolfgang Tillmans, Rineke Dijkstra, Candida Höfer and Thomas Struth, among others, to the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts. When it comes to promoting young outstanding photographers, among many other international cooperations, BMW has been active in providing scholarships for international artists in Germany as well as France, where residences have been set up at the Musée Nicéphore Niépce. In addition, BMW for many years has been engaged with Les Recontres Arles, the acclaimed summer photography festival. As a long-term partner of Art Basel, Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Basel Miami Beach, Frieze London and New York as well as Tefaf Maastricht an many other fairs worldwide, BMW has taken in active part of furthering the visibility and innovative spirit of photography as an established form of artistic expression. Whenever possible, the company has complied with artist’s request to allow for photo shootings at our plants around the world. In 2014, the overall yearly theme of the BMW Museum will be “Photography.”

Courtesy of e90post.com

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The BMW Concept X4. First glimpse and Interview.

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BMW-Brilliance joint car to get the N20 engine

In an interview with Autonews, Ian Robertson, BMW global sales boss, said that BMW hadn’t decided which markets outside China the new brand would be sold in, but mature markets such as Europe hadn’t been ruled out.

The name of the joint venture will be unveiled this month at Shanghai Auto Show but Chinese media is already speculating on the Zhi Nuo brand name, which translate into “The Promise”.

Robertson declined to confirm this, but said one challenge BMW and Brilliance faced was choosing the name. “Today that is more difficult than it was even two years ago,” he said “There are some very smart people who copyright trade names, patents, any name you can possible think of, even names you think you own.”

According to China Car Times, the first car to come out of this venture is a new MPV model that could compete with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Under the hood, the compact car will use BMW’s four-cylinder 2.0 liter N20 turbocharged engine.

This will be the second model ever produced by the two companies. Ahead of the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, BMW unveiled the BMW-Brilliance 5 Series Electric.

Courtesy of bmwblog.com

BMW X1 Kayak

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2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe Price Announced For Australia

 Available in Australia from around July, the M6 Gran Coupe will wear a $299,500 price tag (plus on-roads), entering above the $292,500 M6 Coupe and the $308,500 M6 Convertible.

Like its two-door siblings, the M6 Gran Coupe is powered by a thunderous twin-turbo 4.4 litre V8, producing 412kW and 680Nm of torque.

That torque figure will be key for buyers and fans, marking a 30 percent increase over the twist offered by the older M6's V10 engine.

A seven-speed M Double Clutch transmission sends power to the rear wheels, helped along by BMW's Drivelogic system and Active M differential.

BMW promises a 0-100km/h time in the M6 GC of just 4.2 seconds, with fuel consumption listed at a relatively low 9.9 l/100km - figures helped by its lightweight construction and carbon-fibre roof.

The M6 Gran Coupe's numbers compare favourably to the 'next step down' 650i, which offers a not insignificant 330kW and 650Nm, along with a 4.6 second sprint to 100km/h.

As with the two-door models, the M6 Gran Coupe benefits from the usual treatment of M tweaks, including an overhauled chassis and aluminium-rich suspension with an upgraded Dynamic Damper Control system.

There's also speed-sensitive hydraulic rack and pinion steering, and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Standard brakes are steel and aluminium, measuring 399mm at the front and 396mm at the rear, gripped by six-piston calipers.

The cabin sees a leather fit-out as standard, along with Alcantara and carbon fibre accents.

There's the familiar M steering wheel and instrument cluster, along with the iDrive control system paired with a 10.2 inch display.

Holding occupants in place through the corners are M Sport seats, designed for optimum lateral support - and comfort, of course.

Courtesy of The Motor Report

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Designed for Driving Pleasure.

BMW Announces Four New App Integrations for iPhone

BMW today announced four new partners to provide BMW Approved Apps for BMW Apps option for Apple iPhone. The latest BMW Approved Apps include Audible (downloadable audio books and other spoken-word content), Glympse (location sharing), Rhapsody (subscription music service) and TuneIn (Internet radio). These newest integrations broaden the flexibility and usability of the industry’s most comprehensive smartphone integration.

“We regularly identify apps that our owners rely on as part of their everyday life, and adapt them for an in-vehicle experience they’ll find safe, useful and engaging,” said Phil Johnston, Product Manager for the BMW Group Apps Platform from the BMW Group Technology Office. “Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn were natural additions to the family of BMW Apps Ready Apps.”

Johnston continued, “Integrating access to digital spoken-word content from Audible was the next logical way to expand audio entertainment for drivers. The ability to use the Glympse app from the existing vehicle controls enables drivers to share their whereabouts and ETA in a much safer way. Music is key to vehicle infotainment, and by partnering with Rhapsody, we are delivering music to our owners in user-friendly formats they prefer. With TuneIn, BMW drivers will not only get thousands of music radio stations, but also live sports, news and talk shows from around the world.”
Previews of all four demo apps will be offered for media guests at the New York International Auto Show on the BMW stand March 27 and 28.

Audible: The leader in downloadable audiobooks and other audio content.
Audible is the world’s largest producer and seller of digital spoken-word entertainment. Audible content comprises over 135,000 audio programs from more than 2,700 content providers, including leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers and business information providers. Audible is the exclusive provider of downloadable audiobooks to Apple’s iTunes store.

The addition of Audible’s digital spoken-word content to BMW Apps marks the first time a graphical integration of the app is available in a vehicle’s infotainment system. Using BMW Apps, Audible customers will be able to access their library through the BMW iDrive controls and menu display. With Audible’s innovative Whispersync for Voice technology, BMW owners can also switch seamlessly between reading a book on their Kindle at home and listening to the companion audiobook in the car via their iPhone app—without losing their place. With Audible’s suite of mobile apps, last listening position, bookmarks and notes are saved in the cloud, ensuring drivers always pick up where they left off when they open their iPhone app.

Glympse: GPS-driven location sharing.
Glympse’s location-sharing application enables users to share their location with anyone for a specified period of time. Enabling access to this function through BMW Apps allows drivers to use the car’s familiar controls to share their location and arrival time while en route, without the dangers of picking up their phone.

In use with BMW Apps, Glympse location information from the app is populated with options to share, pause or cancel the information through the BMW iDrive controller and screen. Drivers can opt to send the Glympse to other users via the app, using the phone’s existing contact list, or their personal social media feeds (Facebook and Twitter).

Rhapsody: Subscription music service.
Rhapsody is the original premium, ad-free on-demand music service, with more than one million members, who can listen to more than 16 million tracks on their favorite device, including connected audio systems, smartphones, iPads and Android tablets, MP3 players, connected TVs, gaming consoles and in-car audio. Rhapsody offers the best music discovery tools, thanks to a team of renowned editors help guide members through Rhapsody’s catalog spanning 600 genres with original features and content, including videos, playlists, reviews and radio stations for effortless listening and discovery. Rhapsody makes it easy to find the right song for every moment.

The Rhapsody iPhone app will be fully integrated into the BMW Apps system, meaning users will be able to not only use the vehicle controls to find and listen to their favorite tracks, but also navigate Rhapsody’s music discovery tools, which have been adapted for in-car use.

TuneIn: The World’s Radio.
TuneIn lets people listen to the world’s music, sports, talk and news from wherever they are, with over 70,000 AM, FM, HD and Internet radio stations and more than two million on-demand programs streaming from every continent. The free service includes practically every genre of music, including decades stations, plus live sports, and nearly every podcast show. A free personal account helps drivers access their favorite stations, songs and programs across any device.
The BMW Apps integration will enable users to access the TuneIn app using infotainment controls of their vehicle, allowing them to navigate the world’s radio from their car.

BMW Apps: The industry’s most comprehensive smart phone
The BMW Apps option, available in model year 2011 and later BMWs enables the BMW driver to be more seamlessly connected than ever before using their Apple iPhone. Vehicle compatible apps like the BMW Connected App can be downloaded from the iTunes store, enabling customers to access Twitter and Facebook updates, listen to internet radio from around the world with Web Radio, and use the Last Mile feature to help find their parked vehicle. The calendar can also be accessed. Additionally, popular services like Pandora, MOG and Stitcher can be easily and safely streamed into and controlled by the BMW vehicle interface. The flexible design of BMW Apps allows unprecedented integration of smartphone functions, taking the in-car integration of iPhone, entertainment and online functions to a whole new level. BMW Apps adopts the familiar BMW display and controls to ensure that all functions can be operated comfortably, simply, safely and intuitively while minimizing driver distraction.

The iPhone is linked to the car through the center console either via the USB cable, supplied with the phone, or through an available snap-in adapter. Once connected, the phone can be stored away and all functions can be operated using the vehicle’s iDrive controller, steering wheel buttons and on-board monitor.

Courtesy of bmwblog.com