A few days ago, our spy photographers were able to catch the future BMW i3 during its winter testing in Northern Sweden and now the small electric car has been shelved to give the i8 a chance to do the same. It’s still wearing the same amount of camouflage the i3 was sporting, but a few features peeked through for our viewing pleasure.
The production BMW i8 will generally stay faithful to the concept’s design, but there are a few changes. The biggest change seems to be the doors and the design of the rear lights. The new design is still unknown, but something is definitely up because the rear lights are completely covered in camouflage. The front end has also been slightly modified, designed in the spirit of BMW’s latest design language started by the new 3-Series.
For the i8’s production version, BMW will combine a 1.5 liter inline 3 engine with two electric motors. Each of the electric motors will push out 95 HP and, when combined with the engine, will leave the final output somewhere in the 400 HP area. It has been rumored that the vehicle’s autonomy will be in the 400km/249 miles area, while fuel economy has been announced at 58 MPG.
Safety cars are an integral piece of motor racing, so much so that a lot of racing series have gone the route of building specific safety cars exclusively for their use. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) - that’s the German Touring Car Masters - has unveiled their official safety car for the 2012 race season and to no one’s surprise, they picked a local vehicle in the BMW M3.
The M3 DTM Safety Car is actually based on the M3 GTS and just like any other safety car used for racing purposes, this one was specially modified by BMW M GmbH with plenty of enhancements, including unique bodywork painted in Aline White with a special safety car livery, a modified CFRP engine bonnet with vents, a slew of BMW M Performance Accessories on the gurney and flaps, a new orange roof light unit, and a new set of 19" competition wheels wrapped in 255/35 and 285/30 tires with a fixed-caliper system and Stahlflex brake hoses. Meanwhile, the interior of the M3 DTM Safety Car gets new Recaro seats, three and six-point harnesses, and a new steering wheel straight out of the BMW M Performance Accessories catalog.
Under the hood, the M3 DTM Safety Car is powered by a 4.4-liter V8 engine that produces 450 horsepower at 8,300 rpm and is mated to a 7-speed M dual-clutch transmission with Drivelogic capabilities. These figures allow the car to hit 0-60 mph in just 4.4 seconds with an impressive top speed of 189 mph.
This year’s Super Bowl has been replete with auto commercials, and that’s a good thing because we’re not running out of things to talk about.
One of the most underrated ads we saw comes from BMW. We say its underrated because it doesn’t get the hoopla of Chrysler or the comedic shots of Hyundai, but it does drive home a pretty funny point in the 30-seconds it aired.
Of all the features that come with the new BMW 3-Series, one thing that should be of great use to drivers is the ability of BMW’s Connected Drive to read emails. Whether it’s for work or as a way to get away from the house when your mother-in-law is dropping by, being able read emails on your car is a luxury everybody should have.
Yeah, even if it means getting an earful from your wife as you subtly drive away from your house.
It’s not very often that a smaller vehicle is a company’s flagship, but we don’t care what BMW might tell you about the 7-Series, the 3-Series is the automaker’s top dog. Its styling has always worked and never been vulgar like some other models in the BMW lineup and it’s won more awards from the automotive press than the Los Angeles Lakers.
Believe it or not, the 3-Series has been around since 1975, but it really came into its own in 1992, when it won the first of 19 straight Car and Driver 10 Best awards. In 2006, it won the World Car of the Year and also the What Car? Car of the Year. Under the hood, the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six won the International Engine of the Year Awards for 2007.
To keep up with this impressive tradition, the sixth generation 3-Series unveiled at BMW’s plant in Munich has been built as a revolution and not as an evolution. The new model sets new benchmarks in terms of sporting prowess, elegance, and comfort, and has grown significantly in size compared to its predecessor: wide track - front + 37 mm; rear + 47 mm; length + 93 mm and wheelbase + 50 mm. And most importantly, next to the usual models, the new 3-Series will also be offered as a hybrid as of 2012.
UPDATE 10/17/2011: BMW has unveiled an online configurator for the new generation 3-Series. It will give you the possibility to play a bit with the exterior colors available and the wheels options, but you can also notice the differences between the three grades offered, plus the M-Sport Package. Enjoy!
UPDATE 02/03/12: BMW has just unveiled six very cool commercials for the new generation 3-Series. One of them - "The Big Grab" - will be shown during the Super Bowl. Enjoy!
Since half of Europe is facing some extreme winter conditions, it’s the perfect opportunity for automakers to get some extreme testing out of the way for a lot of their models. BMW was on deck today with its i3 electric hatchback and some snowy conditions somewhere in Northern Sweden.
The i3 prototype was still heavily camouflaged, but with all of the details already released by BMW, it wasn’t too much of a bother. We already know that the i3 will be powered by a 170 HP electric engine that will sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds and up to a top speed of 93 mph. Previous details suggest that the car will be built on a new LifeDrive architecture that will help reduce the car’s weight by 250 to 300 kilos. The coolest part about this little hatchback is that it will sporting suicide doors. That in it and of itself is enough to warrant at least a test drive when the new BMW i3 goes on sale in 2013. Projected price will be about $50,000 (European price). The company plans to build about 30,000 units.
