Fans of diesel-powered BMW cars will be excited to hear that after a year hiatus, the BMW 540d xDrive sedan will return to the US next month. The year-long absence of the model was to allow the 5-series to undergo an extensive overhaul for the 2017 model year. With the return of the 540d, the BMW 5-series now has six powertrains available.
HERE, the navigation company that is remaking itself as the potential heart of autonomous driving, has launched a crowdsourced road safety service, with BMW first to sign up. The HERE Safety Services Suite promises to beam real-time information on road conditions, potential hazards, and changing speed limits to the dashboard of new BMW cars from mid-2018, calling on data from a growing fleet of vehicles spanning multiple automakers.
Mini has announced a new customization program called Mini Yours Customised. The program allows buyers to customize their Mini cars with personally designed side scuttles, trim for the passenger side in the interior, LED door sills, and LED door projectors. The personalized parts can be designed using a new Online Customiser designed just for the new options.
We already know at this point that BMW has a new SUV coming that will be called the X7 xDrive50i. This will be the first true three-row SUV to come from BMW and people who need to haul lots of stuff or passengers are looking forward to the vehicle. Spy shots like the one below have been seen and now details on what features will be available have leaked.
There’s a war brewing. In the world of the all-wheel drive, best-of-the-best performance sedan, a new challenge approaches. Watching, warily from the corners is the 2017 Audi RS7 Performance, with its massive 605 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Then there’s the 6,000-pound elephant in the room, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S, with its 603 hp and faintly ridiculous 627 lb-ft of torque. Each is a stellar performer, and each has some big new competition. The new 2018 BMW M5 is here, and I’ve been testing it on and off the track.
A company from Germany has created what might be the coolest off-road BMW concept ever designed. The vehicle is the MANHART MHX6 Dirt² Concept and it is based on the BMW X6M with some major updates to the car for performance and off-road prowess. There will be five of the vehicles made and each of them will have 900hp and 1200Nm of torque underfoot.
BMW's M division plans to embrace electrification in a serious way, promising to offer electrified options of its entire M sports car line-up. The German automaker had already announced its ambitious roadmap for electrified cars, saying earlier this year that it wants to have 25 such models by 2025. Now, according to BMW M's chief, the division is pushing even more aggressively.
Given the choice between a coupe and a convertible, I’m always inclined to go with the latter, and now those who think similarly but who want a BMW i8 have an option. Just announced at the LA Auto Show 2017, the 2019 BMW i8 Roadster takes a sharp knife to the roof, though the differences between it and the also updated 2019 i8 Coupe are more than just the wind in your hair. Both have been in line for a number of improvements, including a welcome jolt of extra power.
BMW has taken the wraps off a new concept that imagines transportation for urban cities of the future. Called the BMW Vision E³ Way, this concept presents an elevated road system designed for electric two-wheel vehicles (e-bikes, essentially) that could be used by city-dwellers of the future to efficiently travel within the urban environment. The concept was developed by BMW's Technology Office located in Shanghai, China.
BMW is recalling every single BMW i3 it has sold in the US, and has been forced to freeze sales after crash test concerns. The car, which is sold in pure-electric and gas-electric hybrid forms, has been on sale in the US since 2014, with new model year 2018 i3 cars due to show up in dealerships imminently. Now, though, nobody will be able to buy them.
So the new Tesla Roadster has you gripped. There's $200k burning a hole in your pocket - or $250k, if you want to be among the first 1,000 owners - and you're all set to put down your deposit and join the waiting list. Problem is, Tesla isn't going to start making them until 2020, and that's assuming no delays between then and now. If you're in the market for some electrified sports car action while you wait, what are your options? Fret not, eco-racer, I've got you covered.
BMW has introduced the very first ever M3 CS and the car is lighter, better handling, and has more power than the normal M3. The M3 CS sheds 110 pounds of weight thanks to using carbon fiber reinforced plastic for the roof, front splitter, rear diffuser, and Gurney Flap. The Gurney Flap is made of exposed carbon fiber for style.