Other than the questionable looks, the car sounds very good specification wise. Both vehicles use a 4.4 L bi-turbo V8 engine outputting 560 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. The car does promise to have decent fuel economy considering the power averaging a bit less than 10 liter/100 km. The car can do 0 to 100 km an hour in 4.2 seconds for the coupe in 4.3 seconds for the convertible.

Both cars will come with a specially calibrated seven-speed DSG transmission. BMW also fits the car with its latest DSC system and an active M differential to help put the power to the road. Check out the official pictures in the gallery below.

[via Motoward]

Google has shown off cars that drive themselves in the past using GPS and other tech that didn’t need a driver at all. Google is hardly the only company working on such technology, and this new BMW prototype is another example of a car that removes the driver from the equation, at least in part. The BMW car is not fully automated like the Google car. BMW calls its car highly automated, and the driver still has to take over the automated systems when needed. The automation only kicks in on highways if the BMW system designers have fully mapped out the highway ahead of time.

The car uses a myriad of sensors, radar, cameras, lasers, and ultrasound to allow it to determine where it is on the road and how close it is to other vehicles. The vehicle also has a database that knows the speed limit on a given road and will stick to that speed. BMW is still in the development phase with the highly automated vehicle. However, the prototype has logged 5000 km on the road already. Once the technology is proven sound, BMW may begin to roll the tech out to production vehicles. BMW’s highly automated vehicle can determine, for instance, if a slower car is in your lane and can then pass that slower vehicle safely on its own. That sounds cool and I can certainly see that in a vehicle as a much smarter system for cruise control.

[via Yahoo News]

The project will last for two years, and the home will be built with all the green tech that is available today. The home will feature smart thermostats, solar panels, and green lighting and appliances. The expected completion date for the green home is this March. There has been no indication of what the home will look like at this time.

BMW is providing the EV and Tendril is providing the green home management system. Tendril has an interface that sits between the home and the power grid and adds control and flexibility to the inflexible grid. Tendril has an app that will allow the user to monitor all aspects of the electricity use in the home and to choose how and when to charge the EV. For instance, the Tendril platform will allow the driver of an EV to set a charge based on mileage needs for the day and to charge when electricity is the cheapest.

[via NYT]

This recall affects Mini and Mini Cooper vehicles, and those of you that wish to find out more instead of waiting on a call from your friendly BMW dealer should contact BMW directly though their customer relations line here in the USA at 1-800-831-1117 or email customerrelations@bmwusa.com. Those outside the USA should contact the dealers they purchased their vehicles from.

A spokesperson from BMW has noted that there haven’t been any accidents this far as result of reported malfunctions, so don’t fear, but DO NOT think that it’s not possible for you. They haven’t been extremely specific on which models are affected yet, no years or anything like that, so just on a safe side: assume it’s you. If you are affected, BMW will notify you (if you’ve not already contacted them) and your local dealer will replace the water pump free of charge.

[via Detroit News]

Two four-cylinders and a V-6 engine will be offered when the ATS arrives in North America this coming summer, with a 30mpg highway result and the option of all-wheel drive. There’s Cadillac’s first five-link independent rear suspension system, while GM’s engineers have been flirting with different combinations of materials to balance weight, performance and economy. The hood is aluminum hood while the engine mount brackets are magnesium engine; however the differential is cast iron, because that apparently boosted fuel efficiency over aluminum.

Inside, there’s Cadillac CUE, the company’s Bluetooth-enabled multimedia and navigation system, offering USB, aux-in and SD card connections, SiriusXM radio, keyless entry, a 5.7-inch capacitive touchscreen and a heads-up display. If you don’t shell out for CUE, you get a more conservative Bose system instead.

Cadillac CUE:

Safety, meanwhile, calls upon radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors for crash-avoidance, automatic braking, lane-departure warnings, blind-zone protection and more. Eight airbags (or, optionally, ten) along with a year’s OnStar subscription round out the main specs.

There’ll be a 2.0L Turbo DI VVT, 2.5L I-4 DI VVT and 3.6L V-6 DI VVT at launch, mustering 270, 200 and 320 horsepower respectively. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The fruits of the Toyota and BMW deal will initially be seen in 2014, as Toyota cars for the European market roll off the production line under BMW power. The German company has been pushing to expand its engine and powertrain supply business, with the Toyota arrangement presenting shoppers with a cheaper way to get their hands on a BMW-powered car.

Meanwhile, both firms will begin collaborative research into next-gen lithium-ion battery technologies, which could be used to power electric cars and hybrids such as BMW’s i3 and i8 concepts. The partnership is being painted as the first of a number of possible collaborative projects.

As for Honda, it’s not talking about electric but about getting frugal diesel powerplants into cars sooner. The first Earth Dreams Technology engine will show up in the new European Civic, set to go on sale in late 2012. Lighter than existing diesel engines, it has sub-100g/km CO2 emissions yet still delivers 300Nm of torque (at 2000rpm). No word on whether we’ll ever see it appear in cars in North America.

Honda and Toyota didn’t let the Tokyo opportunity to have some weird car fun pass them by, however. As well as the more sensible announcements, Honda brought out the EV-STER TRON-style roadster, while Toyota created what it described as “a smartphone on wheels” in the shape of the ridiculously customizable Fun-Vii.

Rich Steinberg, manager of electric vehicle operations and strategy at BMW of North America states the following:

“[The i3 and i8] are both sort of bookends in terms of the ‘Born Electric’ concept. The i3 is … a relatively small platform: four doors, four seats, pure-electric drive, lithium-ion battery technology. The i8 is on the other end of the spectrum … extremely high performance yet at the same time having an extremely low carbon footprint.” – Steinberg

That said, the i3 and i8 are the latest conceptual manifestations to date of “Project i,” and were envisioned and implemented in 2007. Both i3 and i8 models utilize aluminum sandwich frames and full carbon-fiber bodies to keep the weight and cost down, thereby improving the car’s range without impacting the performance. The sleek and nimble i3 and the exotic, predatorial i8, which races from zero to 60 mph in a zippy 4.6 seconds should be the final nail in the coffin of the concept of eco-friendly vehicles as being, well, slightly more advanced golf carts.

Production versions of the i3 and i8 are due in 2013 and 2014, currently BMW has been leasing select numbers of these electric concept cars to private drivers in a series of comprehensive field tests, in which input from these amateur “test pilots” will ultimately impact the final design and production models. Stay tuned for more this week as the LA Auto show rolls on.

[via LA Times]

The vehicles covered in the recall are 2008-2011 8 and 12 cylinder cars in the 5 Series, 5 Series Gran Turismo, 7 Series, X5, and X6 model lines. According to the recall, a circuit board in the engine bay that controls an ancillary electric water pump can overheat and lead to a risk of fire. BMW notes that the overheating can cause the pump to smolder.

There have been 102 reported cases of this issue and according to BMW in two of the incidences, there were engine compartment fires. The recall will replace the water pump causing the fire risk free of charge on all of the vehicles and the recall notices will be going out to owners of all 32,000 affected vehicles.

[via Pikaba]

The cars are getting a 4-cylinder engine marking the first time that the 3-series will get a 4-cylinder since the 1999 318ti. The new cars will also get a stop-start feature that works like a hybrid to increase fuel economy. There will also be an available 8-speed automatic transmission too. The car is 88 pounds lighter, 3.66″ longer overall, and 1.96″ longer in the wheelbase.

The slight extra length and width gives a bit more leg and knee room. There will be three different trim packages offered with the new car. An M version will also be coming. I wonder if it will get the 8-cylinder that the current M3 has or if it will go back to a turbo 6. What do you think? It’s very hard to see a difference in photos compared to the older car.

[via Jalopnik]

That’s more than anyone on the SlashGear team can handle, which officially makes us less capable than a car; among the choices are both US and UK English, German, French and Italian. BMW’s ConnectedDrive system can access Facebook and Twitter, reading out new updates and messages, as well as allow you to subscribe to various RSS feeds and have new content read out to you.

Triggered by the Play button, ConnectedDrive is being billed as both a safety and entertainment system. It’ll hook into your iPhone Calendar, too, calling out your appointments for the day, week and month; while your iPhone is connected, the iDrive system can also stream internet radio.

Apple is expected to use similar text-to-speech (and speech-to-text) technology from Nuance in iOS 5, as part of the well-rumored iOS Assistant. Expected to debut on the iPhone 5, itself tipped to launch imminently, this will allow users to make spoken commands including navigation requests, new messages, media playback and more.

The laser light could bring with it new light functions with more comfort and safety when driving. The lights can contribute significantly to higher degree of efficiency in energy and fuel savings. BMW notes that laser light is monochromatic and is known as coherent light so the waves are uniform and have a constant phase difference. That means that the lights can create a near-parallel beam with intensity a thousand times that of LEDs in use today.

The laser beams would use less power as well making them more green and ideal for EVs running from a battery. BMW says that unlike some of the laser pointers on the market the light it uses is safe for humans and animals when used in car lighting. The light isn’t emitted directly; it is converted into a form safe for traffic use. The light produced is a very bright white. LEDs are capable of producing 100 lumens per watt while lasers can produce 170 lumens per watt. BMW also uses lasers in other safety technology.

The system is called left turn assistant and it has two levels of functionality. The left turn assistant uses the navigation system in the car to fix the vehicles location within a meter at intersections. It also uses a mono camera to register the turn off lane markings and lane borders on the road. The system then uses three laser scanners in the front of the car to map the area up to 100 meters in front of the vehicle.

The laser scanners can pick up cars, trucks, and motorcycles. If the sensors detect a vehicle approaching in the opposite direction and the car continues to move the left turn assistant activates automatic braking input in low speed range up to 10km/h to prevent a collision. While the brakes are applied, the system also sounds an audible warning and a visual warning inside the car. As soon as the driver hits the brakes themselves, the brake input triggered by the system is ended.

Using the service is quite simple as all you’ll need is a chip that will be attached to your driver’s license with a sticker, no need for keys with DriveNow. You can locate a DriveNow vehicle with either a mobile phone app or a website and you unlock the vehicle by waving your license over the sensor. Inside a Dell Streak is attached to dashboard and you will enter your PIN number to verify yourself. Once all that’s done you can start the car and start driving.

Prices are fixed and users begin with a start-off fee of €29 and for each minute of use it’ll cost you 29 cents. If you choose a MINI Cooper fees are capped at €14.90 an hour, you can also hold any car for 10 cents per hour when you aren’t driving. All BMW cars will be the 1 series to start out. You can drop off the car wherever you’d like, as long as it’s within the city, and the parking within the city is free. It’s a pretty cool way of car sharing and the cars certainly are premium compared to many other car sharing services we’ve seen.

The program will start in Munich with 300 BMW and MINI vehicles, and will expand to Berlin with 500 vehicles. DriveNow is hoping that no user will be more than 500 meters from a hire car. BMW wants to expand to other cities in Europe and eventually other continents, with the goal of having one million DriveNow members by 2020.

[via AutoExpress]

The i3 will have a 150-horsepower electric motor driving an aluminum body over a carbon fiber-reinforced passenger compartment. On a full charge the small car has a range of 124 miles and can get up to 90 mph. BMW expects to sell 30,000 units of the premium i3 per year but no pricing information is available yet.

The video looks like the car is pretty fun to drive and has plenty of power for the small body. The BMW i3 will be a pricier alternative for those who want to save the planet while still purchasing a status symbol brand.

The i3 is an all-electric vehicle intended for urban use, constructed largely from Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), and using decelerative torque to recharge the battery on braking. The motor itself is the size of two drinks crates, half the size of a traditional gas engine (though that doesn’t include the batteries).

As for the BMW i8, that’s a plug-in hybrid for boosted range, and uses the same CFRP materials to keep weight down. Each will be stuffed full of electronic gizmos and quite probably look a whole lot less slinky by the time they reach the road.

Press Release:

New BMW sub-brand: BMW i

Munich. The new BMW sub-brand focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions has been launched. “BMW i represents a new movement in premium mobility. With the introduction of this new sub-brand, the BMW Group reaffirms its leadership as the most innovative and sustainable premium car company. The products and services have been conceived around a revolutionary approach: purpose designed and purpose built for sustainable, premium mobility. It’s a new day in our industry; a new era for individual mobility. This is BMW i – Born Electric.” said Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing, in Munich on Monday.
In a first move, two models will be launched under the new sub-brand from 2013 – the BMW i3 and BMW i8. The BMW Group will also significantly expand its range of mobility services over the years ahead. To achieve this, a Venture Capital company was founded in New York City, BMW i Ventures, with an investment totalling up to 100 million US dollars.
“BMW i offers visionary cars and services, inspiring design, and an entirely new concept of premium mobility – all with a focus on sustainability”, explained Robertson. The BMW i brand comprises vehicles and services developed since 2007 as part of project i, a BMW Group think tank exploring sustainable mobility solutions. It is the BMW Group’s response to changing customer needs, including increasing demand for alternative drive trains, such as electric drive systems and hybrids. There is a widespread desire in megacities for solutions which intelligently combine the benefits of various mobility concepts in a single package.

Revolutionary vehicle concepts
“With BMW i, we are building on the success and strength of our core brand,” emphasised Robertson. The BMW i3– previously known as the Megacity Vehicle – will be the BMW Group’s first series-produced car for urban areas to be driven by electric power alone. The BMW i8, meanwhile, is based on the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept study. Its plug-in hybrid drive blends the sporting ability of a high-performance machine with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car.
Both models are based on a revolutionary construction concept known as LifeDrive architecture. An aluminium chassis houses the powertrain, and the passenger cell consists of high-strength but extremely lightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). “Both cars have been designed specifically for their respective alternative drive systems. We used the innovative architecture and CFRP to cancel out practically all of the extra weight added by the batteries. For our customers this means superior driving dynamics combined with significantly increased range using electric power,” explains Klaus Draeger, BMW Board member responsible for development.

BMW i8 to be built in Leipzig
Like the BMW i3, the BMW i8 will also be manufactured at BMW’s Leipzig plant. Around 400 million euros will be invested in new plant facilities and some 800 jobs will be created up to 2013. Development and production synergies will be achieved through both vehicles using the same component sets for the electric motors, power electronics, and high-voltage lithium-ion batteries.

A range of vehicle-independent services
An additional range of mobility services – which can also be used independently of the cars – will be an integral component of BMW i. This will allow the creation of a new, profitable area of business over the long term and attract new customers to the company’s brands.
“Mobility requirements are changing in rapidly expanding megacities” adds Ian Robertson. “Our commitment to car-enabled mobility services, like BMW ConnectedDrive, will be significantly expanded under BMW i. We’ll also grow our car-related premium mobility services. What’s truly groundbreaking is that we’ll begin offering car-independent premium mobility services. BMW i aims to provide customized mobility solutions across a seamless network of premium products and premium services.” The focus is on solutions which will improve usage of existing parking spaces, as well as intelligent navigation systems with local information, intermodal route planning, and premium car-sharing.
In addition to services developed in-house, the BMW Group is pursuing collaborations with partner companies and exploring strategic capital investments in providers of mobility services. To this end, the venture capital company BMW i Ventures has the goal to expand the range of products and services offered by BMW i in the long term by taking stakes in highly innovative service providers.
New York-based My City Way is the first company in which BMW i Ventures has taken a stake. Of the partnership, Ian Robertson said, “I am thrilled to announce that we have just signed our first strategic partnership with My City Way. As a mobile app, My City Way provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment for over 40 cities in the US. Another 40 cities will be part of the global rollout, including Munich, of course.”

Video demo after the cut

We’re not quite sure why the duo did it, beyond them apparently wanting to prank a poor parking attendent by driving off the car he’s just about to get in and park, but we won’t argue that it’s a cool hack. Not something we expect to see in the Ovi Store any time soon, however.

[via MyNokiaBlog]

The Leica X1 BMW Special Edition camera features the same 12MP CMOS sensor, and the F2.8 24mm optics that the original X1 features. The differences come in the different skin on the BMW special edition, along with “BMW” stamped onto the top of the camera. Other than that, the Leica X1 BMW Special Edition camera is exactly the same as the standard issue version.

The cost? $3,500. That’s compared to the $2,600 that the original costs.

[via CrunchGear]

The Model S will also get a second display, slightly smaller at 12.3-inches, for the instrument cluster, which will feature 3D graphics about the electric car’s systems. Each display will get a Tegra CPU of its own to drive it.

As for BMW, they’ll be a little more conservative than Tesla, but plan on using Tegra to drive a 1280 x 600 display in upcoming 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper and X-Series ranges. They’ll also get real-time traffic reporting and navigation information, all controlled by BMW’s iDrive knob.

Press Release:

NVIDIA GPUs TO BE THE INFOTAINMENT CENTERPIECE ACROSS BMW’S NEXT-GENERATION OF CARS

From the 7 Series to the Mini Cooper, NVIDIA Powers BMW State-of-the-Art Graphics, Enabling Focus on Safer, More Enjoyable Driving

BMW of North America and NVIDIA today announced a partnership that puts NVIDIA® GPUs in navigation and vehicle-information systems across all next-generation BMW cars worldwide. NVIDIA GPUs will power BMW’s in-car navigation systems to deliver vivid graphics with detailed terrain models, landmarks and a stunning new interface. NVIDIA processors will be found throughout BMW’s range of models, including the 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper line and X-Series of sports activity vehicles.

Tesla Motors’ Model S to Feature NVIDIA Tegra Processors
Power-Stingy Tegra to Run All-Electric Sedan’s Infotainment, Navigation, Instrument-Cluster Systems

NVIDIA announced today that NVIDIA® Tegra™ processors will power the infotainment, navigation and instrument-cluster systems in the Tesla Model S, the first sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Built around the driver, the Model S is the premium sedan, evolved. Its infotainment system features a 17-inch touch-screen center console – the largest display ever in a car – providing vivid 3D graphics. In addition to its unrivaled graphics capability, the Tegra processor provides exceptional energy efficiency, a critically important feature for electric cars. One processor will be used to power the infotainment and navigation systems, and another for the instrument cluster.

NVIDIA GPUs TO BE THE INFOTAINMENT CENTERPIECE ACROSS BMW’S NEXT-GENERATION OF CARS

From the 7 Series to the Mini Cooper, NVIDIA Powers BMW State-of-the-Art Graphics,
Enabling Focus on Safer, More Enjoyable Driving

Las Vegas — CES 2011 ­— Jan. 4, 2011—BMW of North America and NVIDIA today announced a partnership that puts NVIDIA® GPUs in navigation and vehicle-information systems across all next-generation BMW cars worldwide.

NVIDIA GPUs will power BMW’s in-car navigation systems to deliver vivid graphics with detailed terrain models, landmarks and a stunning new interface. NVIDIA processors will be found throughout BMW’s range of models, including the 7-Series, 5-Series, 3-Series, Mini Cooper line and X-Series of sports activity vehicles.

BMW’s iDrive will feature high resolution visuals, real-time traffic reporting and navigation information. iDrive is the intelligent control concept that makes it intuitively simple to use a BMW’s in-car features. Its ability to clearly show the most relevant details and make anticipatory decisions to assist the driver will allow BMW owners to drive more safely and focus on the joy of driving.

Highlights / Key Facts:
· Powered by NVIDIA GPUs, the BMW iDrive system provides:
o Visually rich, next-generation user interface
o Advanced state-of-the-art graphics for navigation and vehicle-information systems
o High resolution display (1280×600)
o Fast user-interface response time

· At CES 2011, see a sneak preview of the BMW 5-Series, showcasing the very latest graphics technologies at NVIDIA’s outdoor exhibit – Central Plaza booth # CP7.

Quotes:
· “A year ago we had a vision to deliver the most advanced intuitive state-of-the-art navigation system. In our quest for superior graphics performance, no one came close to what NVIDIA brings to the table. Our partnership represents the beginning of an exciting new phase for BMW drivers.”
- Elmar Frickenstein, Executive Vice President Electrics/Electronics and Driving Experience Environment at BMW

· “BMW has built their reputation on creating the ultimate driving experience. They are taking that to an entirely new level with NVIDIA GPUs.”
- Dan Vivoli, Senior Vice President at NVIDIA

Useful Links:
www.bmwusa.com
www.nvidia.com
http://www.nvidia.com/object/tegra_automotive.html

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA
) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the GPU in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from tablets and portable media players to notebooks and workstations. NVIDIA’s expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. The Company holds more than 1,600 patents worldwide, including ones covering designs and insights that are essential to modern computing. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 336 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 100 MINI passenger car dealers, and 31 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

###

Tesla Motors’ Model S to Feature NVIDIA Tegra Processors

Power-Stingy Tegra to Run All-Electric Sedan’s Infotainment, Navigation, Instrument-Cluster Systems

Las Vegas — CES 2011 ­— Jan. 4, 2011—NVIDIA announced today that NVIDIA® Tegra™ processors will power the infotainment, navigation and instrument-cluster systems in the Tesla Model S, the first sedan built from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Built around the driver, the Model S is the premium sedan, evolved. Its infotainment system features a 17-inch touch-screen center console – the largest display ever in a car – providing vivid 3D graphics.

In addition to its unrivaled graphics capability, the Tegra processor provides exceptional energy efficiency, a critically important feature for electric cars. One processor will be used to power the infotainment and navigation systems, and another for the instrument cluster.

The infotainment and navigation systems feature:
17-inch high resolution display, the largest display ever in a car
Responsive touchscreen with a fully intuitive user interface
Connected navigation with live traffic, points of interest and weather
Touchscreen-based climate-control system

The all-digital instrument cluster features:
Ultra high-resolution, driver-friendly 12.3” LCD display
Advanced 3D graphics providing data about the vehicle

CES 2011 attendees will be able to view the Model S outside the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Central Plaza, booth # CP7.

Visit NVIDIA’s booth in South Hall 3, booth # 31431 to learn about how NVIDIA is working with Tesla Motors to bring visual computing to tomorrow’s cars.

Quotes:
· “Model S is designed for performance-oriented efficiency. NVIDIA allows us to use the highest graphics with the lowest energy use.”
- JB Straubel, chief technology officer at Tesla Motors

“The Model S is a modern marvel – a blend of beauty, performance and efficiency. Tegra’s combination of graphics power and energy efficiency make it a perfect match for the Model S.”
- Dan Vivoli, senior vice president at NVIDIA

About Tegra
NVIDIA Tegra is the world’s first mobile superchip, with eight dedicated computing cores. These include the ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, the world’s only ultra-low power NVIDIA GeForce® GPU and the world’s first mobile 1080p HD video processor.

These features enable it to offer extremely realistic 3D graphics and advanced multimedia functionality and premium-quality accelerated user interfaces. Its auto-grade version has undergone specific testing for the automotive market and passed the industry-standard AEC-100 qualification for reliability, adhering to certain operating temperature ranges. It also offers a complete toolset for engineers to quickly build visually-appealing user interfaces.

The subway car is being called the Inspiro, and it’s set to launch in 2012 in Poland. Those behind the design hope to create the car from an aluminum chassis, which would obviously make the new design considerably lighter than designs currently in use. The designers also hope that with the new aluminum design, that the flow of passengers will be better, if not increase, with the more spacious design.

Interestingly enough, the new subway car will also feature a demand-controlled air conditioning system, as well as electrodynamic braking. With all of that combined, including the fact it should take less energy to run the Inspiro, Poland is hoping to reduce the country’s subway energy output by 30 percent. Thinking into the future, Poland hopes to have 35 of the subway cars operational by the end of 2013.

[via Treehugger]

BMW is calling it “Original BMW Accessories — BMW Carrier for Apple iPad Office Mode.” You connect your iPad through the dock-connector, or Bluetooth if you so desire. And then you can navigate to whatever you need from the iDrive, which is a software feature that will look like Front Row, or cover flow of the album artwork. However, if you have an older iDrive system, BMW has said that there won’t be any upgrade in line for your car. So you’ll just have to upgrade.

The iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4; as well as the iPod Touch 2nd and 3rd generations will be supported. As you can see from the image above, BMW is obviously taking the integration of your iDevice and your BMW to the next level, and infotainment systems will probably only get better because of it.

[via CrunchGear]

BMW is showing off a very cool new factory integration system for the rear occupants of some of its luxury vehicles for the Apple iPad. This is very cool because not only is the design of the mounts for the iPad integrated into the car for looks, but that means that with the 3G iPad passengers in the rear seats can surf the web while cruising down the road.

BMW already has a factory docking system for the iPhone that puts it on the dash in front. It’s really cool to see an automaker offering integrated mounts for high-tech devices not just trying to force drivers to use their own proprietary systems.

Via Autospies

While the GENIVI Alliance don’t make IVI equipment themselves, what they do offer are reference builds that car manufacturers can use to reduce their development cycle.  According to Graham Smethurst, president of GENIVI, the group intends ”to establish a solution that effectively merges IVI needs with those of the other MeeGo target device categories” including smartphones, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and IVI systems.

Existing GENIVI members include Hyundai, Renault, Delphi, Peugeot-Citroen and of course BMW and GM, while hardware partners include Intel, ARM, NVIDIA and Sirius XM.  No word on a timescale for the MeeGo-based GENIVI release.

Press Release:

MeeGo Software Platform Chosen by the GENIVI Alliance

SAN FRANCISCO, July 23, 2010 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the GENIVI Alliance has chosen MeeGo as the basis of its next reference release for In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI).

MeeGo is an open source platform hosted by The Linux Foundation that brings together Intel Corporation and Nokia’s previous projects and is designed for computing device types including smartphones, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and IVI systems. Adoption by this major automotive alliance is a testament to the cross-device, cross-architecture advantages of the MeeGo platform. GENIVI is a nonprofit industry alliance with founding members BMW Group, Delphi, GM, Intel, Magneti-Marelli, PSA, Visteon and Wind River.

IVI is a rapidly growing and evolving field that encompasses the digital applications that can be used by all occupants of a vehicle, including navigation, entertainment, location-based services, and connectivity to devices, car networks and broadband networks. MeeGo will provide the base for the upcoming GENIVI Apollo release that will be used by members to reduce time to market and the cost of IVI development. MeeGo’s platform contains a Linux base, middleware, and an interface layer that powers these rich applications.

“We are pleased to see GENIVI choose MeeGo to power their software platform,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “MeeGo has been built from the ground up for these types of applications. Because MeeGo is a truly open platform, the work GENIVI will do to extend the platform can benefit the project and all who use it. For developers, this is a great opportunity to harness the power of the MeeGo APIs to target a variety of devices and architectures and extend their work on handset applications toward vehicles.”

“We selected MeeGo as the open source basis for our platform because it is technically innovative and can provide the cross architecture build support we require for our references,” said Graham Smethurst, President of GENIVI. “Working with MeeGo we expect to establish a solution that effectively merges IVI needs with those of the other MeeGo target device categories.”

“Access to a thriving ecosystem and engaging applications for an in-vehicle infotainment system is vital to our customers,” said Gerulf Kinkelin, GENIVI Director and Innovation Area Manager for Electronics and Telematices, PSA Peugeot Citroen. “PSA supports GENIVI’s decision and believes the rapid innovation associated with open source and a rich network of contributors available with MeeGo can enable us to define and deliver a faster time-to-market, outstanding IVI experience in our upcoming products.”

An initial release of the MeeGo platform is available now from http://www.meego.com/downloads. Interested parties can download and contribute to the project. The MeeGo project encourages all automakers or industry groups to participate in the MeeGo project or make use of its software to power their own distributions.

About the GENIVI Alliance
GENIVI is a non-profit industry alliance committed to driving the broad adoption of an In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) reference platform. GENIVI will accomplish this by aligning requirements, delivering reference implementations, offering certification programs and fostering a vibrant open source IVI community. Our work will result in shortened development cycles, quicker time-to-market, and reduced costs for companies developing IVI equipment and software.

About the Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the Linux Foundation sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by hosting important workgroups, events such as LinuxCon, and online resources such as Linux.com (http://www.linux.com). For more information, please visit www.linuxfoundation.org (http://www.linuxfoundation.org) or follow the organization on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/linuxfoundation.

BMW is taking support for the iPod and iPhone running iOS 4 to a new level. The carmaker has announced that it will support iPod out feature of the new iOS 4. This feature will allow the screens and menus of the iPhone or iPod to be shown on the cars display screen.

Support for the feature is not surprising; this feature means that BMW can simply use the Apple interfaces instead of trying to make its own. The use of Apple menus will also mean that the driver and passenger will already know how to use them rather than having to learn a new menu system.

Once your iPhone is integrated into the Mini’s system, a center console-mounted joystick is to be used to control and issue instructions on the high-res display.  The first application will be a Web radio streaming function, where, drivers will be able to stream thousands of Internet radio stations from across the world.  Then, there’s Mission Control, a service which, given its action movie-esque name, will “evaluate a vast range of vehicle information, driving situations and vehicle environment-related signals to supply the driver with relevant commentary and instructions”.   Both will debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show this week, and  first be made available in the new Countryman, a small SUV coming out from Mini.

It’s only logical to say that carmakers  are endeavoring to create “smarter” cars these days, with the influx of technology that have pervaded so many other industries.  Iet’s just hope that they never lose sight of what’s most important; the actual driving of the car.

PRESS RELEASE

More driving enjoyment with new connectivity solution: MINI Connected.

New technology unique to MINI opens up a whole new dimension of in-car entertainment – system debut at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show.

• World-first in-car entertainment solution with innovative, unique-to-MINI technology for integration of the Apple iPhone.
• Safe, convenient, intuitive control of all functions via the MINI operating system.
• World debut of in-car web radio; unique possibilities for customisation and integration of additional functions.
• MINI Connected brings enhanced user functionality and customisation to the MINI-exclusive Mission Control function.

Munich. MINI has chosen the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show to launch an all-new, world-first in-car entertainment solution: MINI Connected. Through intelligent connectivity between the driver, his MINI and the outside world, MINI Connected offers new options for further enhancing the hallmark driving fun associated with the brand. Some of these new possibilities will be presented in Geneva. MINI Connected will be launched simultaneously with the MINI Countryman, as an optional specification.

With MINI Connected, MINI is the world’s first carmaker to offer a newly developed USB interface whose unique functionality allows maximum integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system. This MINI-exclusive technology provides the basis for new and unprecedented integration of smartphone functions, taking the in-car integration of modern smartphone telecommunications, entertainment and online functions to a whole new level.

All the functions integrated in the MINI courtesy of the Apple iPhone are activated and controlled using the vehicle’s own operating system. When the system is fitted in conjunction with the – likewise new – MINI Visual Boost radio, the full range of MINI Connected functions can be used. The radio’s high-resolution colour display, which is integrated in the Centre Speedo, and the centre console-mounted MINI joystick provide the ideal basis for convenient, simple and intuitive operation. Information and instructions follow the MINI’s particular display logic, while the familiar MINI operating structure allows drivers to select and activate any function with minimal distraction from the road and traffic. To customise the system, applications can be selected or deselected quickly and conveniently using the vehicle controls.

World-first: the MINI Connected web radio function.
The web radio function will be showcased in Geneva as a typical example of the extended possibilities opened up by MINI Connected. In a “hooked up” MINI – linked to the outside world via MINI Connected – the driver will be able to have his choice of radio station streamed to him anywhere in the world, provided the station is available in the extensive station database. The desired station is selected using the familiar controls on the MINI audio system, ensuring highly safe and convenient operation even while on the road. MINI is the world’s first carmaker to offer such a function as an option for production vehicles.

In addition, MINI Connected allows a variety of other services and functions to be integrated into the car as well. The innovative iPhone interface provides unique data exchange capabilities, allowing a huge range of infotainment, navigation and communication functions to be used on board the vehicle. MINI Connected also allows functions to be enhanced or personalised to the driver’s individual preferences.

The diversity and flexibility offered by MINI Connected across a host of different functions is new in the car industry. The unique, future-adaptable MINI Connected technology will guarantee customers instant access to future innovations in the fields of entertainment, communication, navigation and information.

Exclusive to MINI: Mission Control.
MINI Connected also incorporates the Mission Control module, which made its debut in the MINI 50 Camden anniversary model. Mission Control evaluates a vast range of vehicle, driving situation and vehicle environment-related signals and supplies the driver with relevant information and instructions in customary MINI style. Mission Control gives the driver an even stronger sense of interacting directly with the vehicle, reinforcing the whole concept of the MINI as a car with character and personality.

The vehicle-related signals are used to generate constantly changing, situation-dependent messages. The dialogue may take the form of safety and comfort-related advice – for example prompts to fasten a seatbelt or guidance on the air conditioning system – or may provide information relating to the current driving situation and operating status (for example outside temperatures or fuel tank level). The wide repertoire of messages, which marks a significant advance over previous systems, makes for a continually varied dialogue between the MINI and its driver, even in familiar and frequently recurring everyday driving situations. And thanks to MINI Connected, Mission Control now offers extensive functional enhancement and personalisation options including, for example, a choice of language versions and driving modes.

The device is all planes and angles and looks pretty frackin’ cool. It leans into corners like a motorcycle and despite looking very small, BMW promises that the thing has the seating space of a 3-series. The slippery sci-fi bodywork is designed for low drag to increase fuel efficiency with a drag coefficient of 0.18 and weighing only 992 pounds.

Under the body work is a small combustion engine and an electric motor that allow the device to hit a top speed of 124 mph and hit sixty in under ten seconds while still getting 118 miles per gallon of fuel. That performance isn’t very impressive, but the fuel economy is. There is no word on if the prototype will ever see actual production

The scooter is a fully electric job with no emissions that gets the power it needs to scoot you around town from a 125V lithium-ion battery. The electric motor provides 27 horsepower, which should be plenty for a lightweight vehicle.

BMW promises the scooter will be able to hit 80kmph in only seven seconds and top out at 100kmph. From looking at the pictures it seems that the bike is designed so that in the event of a crash, the rider is surrounded by a frame and roll bar. The seatbelt will keep the rider on the bike. The big flaw I see is that your hands, arms, and legs will be exposed but the good news if your head shouldn’t hit the ground. There is no word on pricing or availability at this time.

It’s a deceptively large case, too, as the images in the gallery of the Level 10 unveiling demonstrate.  Then again, with what looks to be six separate 3.5-inch drives, a couple of 5.25-inch optical drives above, and the whole motherboard and PSU split apart, it’s never going to be a small tower.

No word from Thermaltake on whether the Level 10 will ever be released as a commercial product or is destined to remain a one-off concept.  If they do – and I kind of hope so – it’s likely to be expensive.

[via CrunchGear]

As many commenters have already pointed out elsewhere, it seems a vaguely dangerous thing to highlight to owners just how little use most get out of buying a convertible.  Certainly not something you want them considering when it comes to replacement time.

The option will only be available on the new 2009 MINI convertible.  Pricing is yet to be announced.  It’s got me thinking what other bizarre gauges could be added to new cars: how about a glovebox counter, which records how many gloves you actually keep in there? 

[via The Truth About Cars]

The system is based on NXP Semiconducters’ SmartMX P5CD081 series wireless chipset, which has smaller antennas than rivals meaning the overall card can be smaller.  It’s compatible with the EMV (Europay-Mastercard-VISA) standard and can use a variety of encryption standards.  In addition, voltage, frequency, temperature and light sensors can monitor whether the card has been physically tampered with.

In BMW’s application, the card will be able not only to unlock the car but also call up personalized settings. This could range from seat position to radio presets, GPS data and anything else under the remit of BMW’s iDrive in-car computer system. It can also be programmed to temporarily open other vehicles, such as hire cars or replacement vehicles during servicing and/or repairs, or even shared cars, and BMW intend to use it in the future to deliver more personalized services.

Press Release:

The World’s First ‘Smart’ Car Key Prototype

Secure Contactless Payments Based on NXP’s SmartMX Chipset

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands –(Business Wire)– Oct 21, 2008 BMW Group Research and Technology and NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, have unveiled a prototype of the world’s first multifunctional car key. The prototype features contactless payment, personalized access control, and advanced functionalities including public transport e-ticketing, to deliver an enhanced mobility experience. Powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip, the prototype – for the first time – allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments with a car key, creating exciting new usage scenarios for future consumers.

In the future, car owners may benefit from the ease-of-use of contactless payments for ad-hoc transactions including general shopping, paying for your petrol, public transport, parking and road tolls, replacing the need for cash or additional cards. NXP will demonstrate the car key prototype at its booth during the CARTES & IDentification show in Paris from 4th to 6th November 2008.

By turning the car key into a personalized credit card, many additional mobility scenarios become possible. The future consumers will be able to securely gain access to personal data and be authorized for personalized in-vehicle online services in any BMW vehicle that they own or drive. The personal credit card key may also be temporarily registered with other cars. Renting or sharing cars becomes very convenient, even more as personalized authorizations and service settings can be automatically activated in these vehicles. Moreover, when public transport tickets are loaded to the personal key, this device becomes a companion for seamless mobility.

“With the concept of integrating contactless payment functionality in a car key, we are working on the combination of automotive technology and lifestyle,” said Prof. Raymond Freymann, managing director of BMW Group Research and Technology. “In cooperation with NXP we are doing research in enhancing the capabilities of the car key into one smart device for access, payment, and services that will simplify the lives of BMW car drivers in future. It will help us to stay in touch with our drivers directly and deliver a complete range of mobility-enhancing services.”

“Together with BMW, we are underlining our global leadership in remote key-less vehicle ‘entry and go’ and contactless identification, by delivering a compelling contactless application that will continue to drive innovations in smart card banking and the automotive industry,” said Marc de Jong, executive vice president, business unit automotive and identification, NXP Semiconductors. “The transformation of a car key into a credit card goes beyond the limitation of traditional payment possibilities and is a natural evolution to improve car owners’ payment experiences. Innovative smart card solutions from NXP provide the security, the flexibility and the performance to support the growing industry demand for different form factors in payment applications, such as car keys, key fobs, watches or Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones, to enhance the lifestyles of consumers.”

Featuring smaller antennas than standard smart cards, NXP’s SmartMX P5CD081 series is an ideal solution for integration into a broad range of different form factors. The integrated dual-interface chip, which will be EMV compliant and Common Criteria EAL 5+ certified by the German Federal Office of Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik), ensures that the credit card application complies with the highest security requirements.

About NXP Semiconductors

NXP is a leading semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has about 33,500 employees working in more than 20 countries and posted sales of USD 6.3 billion (including the Mobile & Personal business) in 2007. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, mobile phones, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com.

About BMW Group Research and Technology

BMW Group Research and Technology (BMW Group Forschung und Technik GmbH) is a 100% subsidiary of BMW AG and is in charge of the following research topics at the BMW Group since 2003: Vehicle Technology, CleanEnergy (hydrogen technology), EfficientDynamics (intelligent energy management/alternative drivetrains), ConnectedDrive (driver assistance/active safety systems) and ITDrive (IT-architecture and communication technology). Being a limited company, legal autonomy from the BMW Group allows a maximum of creativity and flexibility. An internationally established network, with Technical Offices in the USA (Palo Alto, CA and Clemson, SC) and Japan (Tokyo) as well as Liaison Offices in France (Eurécom in Sophia Antipolis) and in Germany (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, DFKI GmbH in Saarbrücken) ensures global access to trends and technologies.

They offer an even higher beam of light than your high beams, and they aren’t on all the time, they are wirelessly synched with your high beams, so only when you turn your brights on do these lights come on. And, if traffic approaches, they can automatically detect that and turn themselves off.

They claim they triple the area you can see, and that sounds about right, so, if you drive on dark, dank roads frequently where you use your high-beams a lot, you might consider these. Distribution starts next year, no word on price though.

Rayzer Triples Driving Visibility, Surprised Deers [via Gizmodo]

According to the trailer on their site, these gadgets somehow work together to bring you MP3s, DVDs, and CDs, with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, voice command capability, and a 65,000 color LCD. But strangely, no GPS navigation system, which is probably the only distracting gizmo one should have while driving.

This “highend” system is slated for release in the middle of this month, but until then, we can only gaze inquisitively at these product shots (more after the jump) of what look like…um…fancy remote controls?

BMW’s In-Car Multimedia Masterpiece [Via: Newlaunches]

The V10, 5.0-liter BMW M6 droptop packs 500-hp and it also has the convenient seven-speed sequential manual gearbox also known as SMG. The M6 has a prompt throttle response and redlines at 8250-rpm. The M6 cabrio version will sport a three layer softtop that opens in 25 secs. It also includes so much technology under the hood I would be making up terms if I tried to describe it, but it all equals ungodly speeds. It goes from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and it tops at 155 which can be tweaked but the ABS breaks should save you. Without controls the vehicle is said to reach 205-206 mph. The vehicle is more than just a car, it’s a monster that is driven by very few people. If the buyer is going to spend thousands of dollars he or she might as well have room for some cuties in the back and that’s why this car makes so much sense.

The V10 BMW M6 has been around for several months but it’s still a car that stuns the audiences. This past ’06 summer, I spent several months in Los Angeles, where I saw various sports cars, and a first glance will shock even the most car savvy individual. It’s a fine looking vehicle built to perfection and the distinctive grill is still present so BMW knows its roots. The vehicle also has options for GPS, satellie radio, and any option you can think of. BMW will most likely hold the record of the “World’s Fastest Four-Seat Convertible”, according to “Car and Driver”. Expect more from Bayerische Motoren Werke.

Price: $110,000

2008 BMW M6 Convertible [Via: Caranddriver.com]

Personally, it’s been my experience that younger drivers appreciate Bangle’s so-called “Flame Surfacing” than more mature demographics, who find it far more challenging than any of the company’s previous design themes.  Yet despite the fact that the youth market generally doesn’t have the money to consider a BMW 7-Series, sales of cars in all ranges have nonetheless been rising steadily.

Design & Emotion [via Core77 Design Blog]