BMW Vision ConnectedDrive set to make Geneva swoon

BMW is coming to the Geneva Motor Show tech-loaded for bear and the Vision ConnectedDrive concept is the sleek, roadster-shaped weapon. The topless study is based on the production-bound BMWEfficientDynamics and serves as a platform to showcase the Bavarian automaker’s advanced driver assistance and mobility networking systems, demonstrating what is possible both now and in the future.

The drivetrain beneath the concept is purely electric. No specifications have been revealed yet, though it really only needs enough get-up-and-go to get up on the stage and get gone after what’s sure to be its enthusiastic presentation. The sexy package is just meant to grab your attention long enough for BMW to subliminally inform you how it will swath you in a safe and entertaining environment through technology that’s just a mind-meld short of miraculous. Check out our high-res gallery below and the press release after the jump detailing the VCD concept and BMW’s other Geneva activities.

 

Source:Autoblog

BMW announces 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo for U.S.

BMW has been teasing us with little factoids here and there about its new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and we finally have official confirmation that it will, in fact, be coming to the United States later this year.

This new four-cylinder engine uses the same twin-scroll turbo technology found in the larger N55 3.0-liter engine. Maximum power is rated at 240 horsepower at 5,000 rpm, and peak torque – all 260 pound-feet of it – is delivered at 1,250 rpm. By switching to a smaller-displacement, turbocharged, direct-injected engine, we can expect that cars with this new 2.0-liter four will get a healthy bump in fuel economy over the current six-cylinder models.

BMW has yet to point out which models will be getting the new 2.0-liter turbo, but since the automaker specifically mentions that it offers more power and torque than the current naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, we wouldn’t be shocked to learn that all cars with a 28i or 30i at the end of the name will now be powered by this four-pot mill. Earlier reports have suggested that the Z4 sDrive30i will now use four-cylinder power, and we’re betting both the 1 and 3 Series, as well as X1, will get the turbo-four treatment. Follow the jump for the official press release.

 

BMW considering M3 Sportswagon

 

 

It’s no secret that we love ourselves some wagons, and it goes without saying that we like our wagons with more than a little dose of performance baked inside. And so it’s with bated breath that we tell you the latest tantalizing tidbit swirling aorund the internet rumormill: BMW may be considering an M3 Sportswagon.

If the BMW-obsessive folks from Bimmerfile are to be believed, such a machine was considered at the outset of the E9X car’s development, and at least one test machine was built. So why wasn’t it offered from the beginning? Naturally, an M3 wagon would be a small-volume proposition, which means it would likely carry a fairly large sticker price and would be tough for the automaker to justify. Bimmerfile estimates a base price of around $65,000.

Then again, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and, more recently, Cadillac have all put performance-minded wagons on the market, so who knows?

BMW 1 Series M Coupe steps up to the scales

The crowd at Axis of Oversteer managed to get their paws on the first BMW 1 Series M Coupes to be let loose on American soil. What did they do with the car? While we can imagine the vehicle has already suffered through a pile of hole-shot launches and some serious flinging, the AoO gang also took a spell to load the car onto a set of scales to find out what exactly the baby M weights with a full tank. In a world where manufacturers are increasingly pressed to get their vehicles under the 4,000 pound mark, the 1 Series M Coupe managed to slide in at 3,351 pounds.

That’s mighty skinny considering that the car packs a 340 horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six under hood. This particular car has a full dance card at the moment. It’s headed from New Jersey to Daytona, Florida to serve as the pace car for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona. We’re guessing that the machine will be right at home among the muscle-bound bruisers going the distance down south.

Huh? JDM Honda Odyssey Tricked Out as a BMW

Needless to say, this Japanese domestic market Honda Odyssey isn’t your typical soccer-mom’s minivan. Besides the insane negative camber all around and the fact that in parking position, the Odyssey sits only about an inch or two away from the road, what makes this custom creation stand out from the crowd is that the designer managed to incorporate the front-end of an E92 BMW 3-Series Coupe. Oddly enough, the bimmer nose seems to work nice… More photos after the jump.

BMW X1 U.S. debut delayed due to high demand in Europe

American buyers may have to wait a little bit longer before sinking their teeth into the upcoming BMW X1. According to Automotive News, the CUV has been more popular in Europe than the German automaker originally anticipated, and as such, BMW is experiencing a bit of a supply crunch. As a result, North American buyers won’t be seeing the X1 at the end of this year as originally expected. Instead, it’s beginning to look like the vehicle won’t show up here until early 2012 at the soonest. Automotive News reports that the X1 went on sale in Europe in November of 2009.

Since then, the high-riding hatch has sold out in every market it’s touched. BMW says that it fully expects the X1 to be a low-volume model here in the land of the free, with sales lodged somewhere in the same realm as what the current 1 Series Coupe and Convertible. Even so, the company says that it’s shooting for around 8,000 units per year. With the larger, more popular X3 just now hitting dealerships, the X1 will likely serve to fill a slot for buyers looking for a compact luxury crossover.

BMW X1 gets brand’s first 245-hp turbocharged four-cylinder

The BMW X1 may not arrive in the U.S. on schedule, but when it does show up, it will come packing a turbocharged four-cylinder. The all-aluminum 2.0-liter mill cranks out 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque thanks to direct-injection and a single twin-scroll turbo. European buyers will be able to bolt the engine to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic and the company’s xDrive all-wheel drive system. BMW claims the manual-equipped X1 will do the 0-62 mph in around 6.1 seconds. while opting for the auto will tack another .3 seconds onto its sprint time.

The German automaker has bolted on a heap of fuel-saving technologies, including start-stop and regenerative braking systems as well as a shift indicator. All told, BMW is shooting for 35.7 mpg on the imperial scale, or just under 30 mpg by U.S. measure – not too shabby for a full-time all-wheel drive machine. The fuel economy marks an improvement of 16 percent compared to the old lump. Click past the jump for the full details.

At $47,010 (including destination), the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe isn’t exactly cheap. Still, Matthew Russell, BMW product and technology PR rep, says it’s “the most affordable M BMW has ever sold, adjusting for inflation, including the original E30 M3.” That car cost around $34,000 when it was introduced in 1988. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Russell is more than right: $34,000 in 1988 had the same buying power as $62,885 in 2010.

With rumors of BMW getting into front-wheel-drive cars, we asked Dr. Kay Segler, president of BMW M GmbH, if M could do a FWD car. Segler said, “I haven’t thought about that,” and went on to remark that he couldn’t see doing a sub-1-Series M car. Russell elaborated with, “There are rumors about what is coming, but those aren’t from us.” As to other rumors about whether the coupes will be limited or capped in number, we were told categorically, “No.” But that was amended with, “But they will be hard to get.”

BMW: 1 Series M Coupe’s main competitor is… a used M3?

The 1 Series M Coupe is a car capable of turbocharging the dreams of many an enthusiast, BMW or otherwise – but the question many have is whether it can it turn the dreams of M3 buyers into something less… dreamy. During this week’s Detroit Auto Show press days, we spoke to Dr. Kay Segler, president of BMW M GmbH, about what 1 Series M Coupe means for Bimmer’s performance brand and the M3.

Dr. Segler responded to those worried about the 1 Series M Coupe being better than the M3 with “the M3 is the car of M, the icon, playing in another league. The best feeling is still in an M3.” So even though BMW’s product and technology PR rep Matthew Russell described the 1 Series M as “an M3 in a 1 Series body,” the 1 M is distanced from the M3 by its limited options, including the fact that the M button on the steering wheel only adjusts throttle response, nothing else.

On the other hand, when discussing concerns that the 1 M was engineered so as not to step on the M3′s toes, Segler said “It was never held back at any stage. It is as good as it can be, this was exactly the car to build.” When we asked how much one would have to spend in order to make it better than an M3, we were told that it would make more sense to buy an M3. “It is not a replacement for the M3,” he also said. Russell added, “The M3 is in the middle of its life, it has a long way to go.”

And finally, our favorite answer came when we asked what is the competition for the 1 Series M Coupe, and Russell amusingly remarked, “A certified pre-owned M3.”

What say you? Is BMW just being cocky or does the auto industry offer a true direct competitor for the 1 Series M Coupe?

Click past the break for a comparison chart between the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the current BMW M3.