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BMW

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AUTOMOTIVE

Electric vehicle trials gain traction in UK

By Jeff Salton

04:09 June 26, 2009 PDT

London trialling a raft of electric vehicles

A raft of electric vehicle related news from the UK this week with Mitsubishi, Ford, Toyota and BMW (through its Mini brand) all getting a piece of the action. A total of approximately 340 all-electric and hybrid vehicles will begin trials on UK roads within the next 6-18 months. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

BMW’s new voice control is a much better listener

By Michael Mulcahy

20:50 June 24, 2009 PDT

BMW's new voice control systems can respond to a single sentence command

BMW has taught its built-in voice control system to better understand spoken commands. Available with all models from September 2009, the new BMW Voice Control will allow a driver to tell the navigation system a destination with a single voice command. Similarly, the entertainment system can be told to find and play a selection by the name of the artist, album or even a specific song title. Read More

CHILDSPLAY

BMW's convertible Kidsbike - two bikes in one

By Karen Sprey

17:31 June 23, 2009 PDT

Toddlers can initially use the BMW Kidsbike as a learning bike to develop balance and coor...

Riding a bike is something most of us learn as kids, with many a wobble along the way as we develop our sense of balance. The BMW Kidsbike has been designed for youngsters from around two and a half to five years of age, helping them progress from their first experience on two wheels to their first proper bike by means of a separate chain and pedal unit which can be easily mounted when the time is right. Read More

MOTORCYCLES

Kawasaki set to debut night vision, helmet-mounted heads-up displays and collision avoidance technology

By Ben Purvis

20:10 June 7, 2009 PDT

Kawasaki set to debut night vision, helmet-mounted heads-up displays and collision avoidan...

KAWASAKI'S 1400 GTR is already one of the most technologically-advanced bikes on the planet – with variable valve timing, keyless ignition and tyre pressure sensors as standard – but the firm is preparing a whole new generation of ground breaking technology for the next-generation GTR. Heading up the technological onslaught comes a system that until now has been in the preserve of only the world's most expensive cars; night vision. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

New BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

By Mike Hanlon

19:26 May 24, 2009 PDT

New BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

BMW has announced the 5 Series Gran Turismo, a car which combines a coupé-like silhouette with the luxurious interior of a BMW 7 Series, while at the same time giving the functionality of a BMW 5 Series Touring or X5. Available as either a four-seat Executive specification car or in a five-seat SE configuration, the Gran Turismo's truly innovative feature is a two-piece tailgate offering two ways of opening the rear of the vehicle depending on the objects needed to be stowed. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

The Mini turns 50

By Mike Hanlon

02:41 May 15, 2009 PDT

The Mini turns 50

The Mini, perhaps the most iconic automobile in history, is about to turn 50 years of age. Runner-up in the Car of the Century competition, the Mini was catalysed by the fuel rationing resultant from the 1956 Suez Crisis. Its price and frugality at the pump made the BMC Mini a symbol of freedom for baby boomers and its status as an emblem of the swinging sixties was reinforced in 1966 when The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein, gave each of the Fab Four a Mini Cooper S as a gift. George Harrison had his Mini painted with psychedelic images, yantras and Sanskrit mantras and it subsequently starred in The Beatles’ film Magical Mystery Tour. BMW, which now owns both Mini and Rolls Royce, has come up with a fresh interpretation of the extravagant original Mini to coincide with the brand’s 50th birthday. Read More

MOTORCYCLES

BMW's 2010 S1000RR superbike - full details released

By Loz Blain

00:05 May 11, 2009 PDT

BMW's 2010 S1000RR superbike

BMW's S1000RR 1000cc superbike might not be making big waves in World Superbike competition just yet, but today's release of photos, specifications and a hugely detailed press pack leaves us in no doubt that the new Beemer flagship will be an absolute monster on the road. A massive 193 horsepower is just the beginning - the S1000RR packs a combined ABS that's lighter and smarter than Honda's, variable intake tracts and exhaust butterflies that outdo the Yamaha and MV Agusta systems, a 4-mode variable engine mapping system that seems a lot better thought-out than Suzuki's, and a very clever traction control system that's integrated into the mind-boggling fly-by-wire engine management system in a way that seems much more logical than Ducati's. Brand new in every way, this purpose-built German superbike is set to hit showroom floors well before the end of the year. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

The new BMW X5 Security Plus is AK47-proof

By Mike Hanlon

06:38 April 21, 2009 PDT

The new BMW X5 Security Plus is AK47-proof

BMW is extending its range of security vehicles with the new BMW X5 Security Plus, a car that will keep you safe as long as your assailants have nothing more than AK 47 weaponry, and it could just be one of those luxury extras to come into vogue in troubled times. At least occupants will be shielded from unintentional bullets if they stumble across a gun battle and if someone pops up beside your driver's side window with a handgun intent on carjacking you, you can now safely pull faces and show them the bird, providing of course, you've locked the door. Personally, if you're in grave danger and must travel regardless, may we recommend the late Saddam Hussein's favorite wheels, the Rhino Runner. For more on the BMW X5 Security Plus ... Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Formula One Double Deck Diffuser explained

By Paul Evans

06:59 April 7, 2009 PDT

Diffusers are creating controversy in the 2009 F1 season

Only two rounds into the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and the largest number of rule changes in the history of the sport have well and truly reshuffled the deck. We took a close look at the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) before the opening round got underway in Melbourne, Australia, but it turns out the biggest news in Formula One at the start of the season is the rear diffusers being used by the Brawn, Toyota and Williams teams. The diffusers in question were cleared by the FIA as long ago as January but the matter will again be considered by the FIA's International Court of Appeal on April 14. Paul Evans investigates. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Formula One KERS explained

By Paul Evans

01:33 March 26, 2009 PDT

F1 2009: the biggest number of rule changes in the history the sport

The 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship starts this weekend with round one in Australia where we are about to witness the biggest number of rule changes in the history the sport. The front and rear wings have been significantly changed in size and height to reduce the aerodynamic effect on cars following each other. Many of the aerodynamic 'extras' added by teams last season around the side pods will be banned and after 11 years of grooved tires slicks will make a return. The aerodynamic changes include a first in F1, driver adjustable front wing flaps, but the rule changes we're most interested in are those concerning the introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) that will eventually make every future Formula One race car a hybrid. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

The BMW ALPINA D3 Bi-Turbo - 450Nm of torque and 52 mpg

By Mike Hanlon

00:43 March 23, 2009 PDT

The BMW ALPINA D3 Bi-Turbo - 450Nm of torque and 52 mpg

March 23, 2009 450 Nm ( 332 lbs-ft) of torque was once considered V8 territory, which just goes to show how times change. The BMW ALPINA D3 makes 450 Nm from a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-charged diesel engine. The D supposedly stands for diesel, but could equally stand for Drehmoment, German for torque – just off idle, at 1500 rpm, the little monster is already producing an impressive 400 Nm of torque thanks to the smaller of its twin turbos already bringing serious induction pressure to bear, and while the car is capable of 152 mph and 0-100 km/h in 6.9 secs, the official fuel consumption and emission figures tell a very different story: 52.3 mpg (overall EU) and 143 g/km (manual gearbox version). Read More

PERSONAL COMPUTING

Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW

By Darren Quick

21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT

The open modular design of the Level 10 concept PC

Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Magna MILA EV, the future BMW Electric Car?

By Paul Evans

16:27 March 10, 2009 PDT

Magna MILA EV

As part of the BMW Project i electric car program, Magna, the company that will be building the Ford Focus EV in 2011, has presented the MILA EV at the Geneva Motor Show 2009. Where most mass production electric vehicles announced to date are retrofitted or converted versions of existing vehicles, the five-door Mila has been designed without compromise as a fully integrated electric vehicle platform. Driven by a 50 Kw (67 hp) electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, the MILA EV is expected to have a charge time of 2.5 hours a range of up to 150 km (94 miles) with charging supplemented by solar cells integrated in the glass roof. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

New hydraulic hybrid transmission doubles MPG in city driving

By Paul Evans

18:57 March 1, 2009 PST

BMW 530i prototype

Mechanical transmission of power using gears is very energy inefficient. The familiar automotive multi-speed gearbox and differential suffers from the friction losses that result in 20 – 30% of engine power being lost between a car's engine and the wheels. Many techniques are being developed to eliminate mechanical transmission including Wheel Motors and Hydraulic transmissions that we have seen being trialed in UPS delivery vans. Now in an innovative new approach, Scottish company Artemis Intelligent Power has developed a hydraulic hybrid transmission system it says can double a vehicle's MPG in city driving. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Thermoelectrics to replace car alternators and improve MPG

By Paul Evans

16:06 February 8, 2009 PST

Prof. Rowe with the TEG equipped Volkswagen

Thermoelectrics - the phenomena in which a temperature difference creates an electric potential - have been known about for almost 200 years, but practical applications have not been widespread due to their low energy efficiency. That may all now be about to change as Germany automakers Volkswagen and BMW have developed thermoelectric generators (TEG) that recover waste heat from a combustion engine. Read More

MOTORCYCLES

2009 World Superbike Championship: season preview and predictions

By Loz Blain

23:52 February 2, 2009 PST

Noriyuki Haga follows Michel Fabrizio

The global financial crisis has clearly hammered the highest echelons of prototype racing, with established teams like Honda and Kawasaki pulling out of F1 and MotoGP respectively in the last couple of months. But for the production-based (and much cheaper) World Superbike series, things have never looked better than they do at the start of 2009. Despite the retirement of beloved champion Troy Bayliss, the 2009 WSBK grid will field a record 32 bikes from a record 7 manufacturers as BMW and Aprilia join the fray with exotic new machinery. There's also an influx of phenomenally talented riders - including AMA champ Ben Spies, BSB champ and ex-GP god Shakey Byrne, and precocious youngsters Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam to do battle with battle-hardened veterans like Nitro Nori Haga, Biaggi, Corser and Kagayama. The first pre-season test has been run, giving us a glimpse at who's fast and who's faster, so it's time for a WSBK season preview, looking at the class, the teams, the bikes and the personalities that make SBK the race series to watch in 2009. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

New MINI Convertible due in March 2009

By Noel McKeegan

19:09 January 19, 2009 PST

New MINI Convertible due in March 2009

Busting out of simulated ice blocks in one of the more notable pieces of razzle dazzle at last week's Detroit Auto Show preview was MINI's new convertible. Due for release in March, the 2009 MINI convertible gets new generation turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engines (118 hp for the MINI Cooper Convertible and 172 hp for the MINI Cooper S Convertible), a pop-up rollover bar activated by the car’s central safety electronics, a redesigned storage compartment and an electrohydraulic-powered soft-top roof that can be opened in 15 seconds at speeds of up to 20 mph. There's also a new "Openometer" feature which keeps track of the time spent traveling with the roof down. Gimmicky? Yes, but it will give you one unique stat that your non-MINI convertible driving friends can't match. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

In the flesh: BMW's 2009 Z4 roadster with retractable hardtop roof and adjustable ride height

By Loz Blain

20:18 January 12, 2009 PST

BMW's 2009 Z4 roadster

January 13, 2009 We previewed the new Beemer Z4 roadster back in December - now we've had a chance to dribble on it at the Detroit NAIAS. The hardtop convertible is as slick and sporty as you'd expect, but its posing credentials are backed up a serious performance focus. Dynamic Drive control gives you three engine mapping/stability settings for the 300hp twin turbo inline 6 engine, to control your degree of hooliganism. Adaptive suspension with electronic damping control can adjust ride height on the fly, and adapt to road conditions so quickly that if you hit a bump with the front wheels, the back wheels will be adjusted in time to deal with it. The gearshift is accomplished either through an extremely short-travel manual 6-speed, a standard paddle-shift auto or a ripping seven-speed double-clutch sports auto. Bavarian beauty, brains and brawn in a 150mph top-down giggle machine. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

The new BMW Z4 Roadster

By Noel McKeegan

03:36 December 17, 2008 PST

The new BMW Z4 Roadster

BMW's latest addition to its roadster family is set to make its North American debut at the 2009 NAIAS in January packing more power, versatile storage options, and a host of goodies not previously seen in the range including a two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated retractable hard-top roof and adjustable drivetrain and suspension which enable the driver to choose between three different ride heights as well as different throttle and steering response set-ups and gear change times. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

MINI E unveiled in Los Angeles

By Noel McKeegan

02:41 November 20, 2008 PST

MINI E unveiled in Los Angeles

Following a preview a few weeks back, the all-electric MINI E has hit the boards at the LA Motor Show for its world premiere. With its lithium-ion powered 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor driving it from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds, an electronically limited top speed of 152 km/h (95 mph) and a range of 156 miles, the MINI E will make an impressive test bed for the BMW Group as it heads towards series production of all-electric vehicles. Read More

MOTORCYCLES

BMW unveils F 800 R roadster

By Noel McKeegan

23:08 November 10, 2008 PST

BMW unveils F 800 R roadster

The 1200cc Lo-Rider concept may have been the big story to emerge from the BMW Motorrad camp at last week's EICMA 2008 Milan Motorcycle Show, but it wasn't the only new kid on the block. Set to join the F800S and ST in the company's mid-market line-up from May 2009, the new F 800 R naked roadster sports an 87hp in-line 2-cylinder engine, F800GS-style headlights, chain drive and a new light alloy cast double-sided swingarm. Read More

MOTORCYCLES

BMW's brutal Lo-Rider concept bike unveiled at EICMA Milan

By Loz Blain

23:01 November 4, 2008 PST

BMW's Lo-Rider concept

Big change is afoot at BMW's motorcycle division. After unleashing the ferocious K1300 series, the crazy HP2 Megamoto and the instantly-competitive S1000R superbike, BMW today showed a bruising concept bike to the fascinated crowds at Milan's EICMA motorcycle expo. Reminiscent of the certified bad-ass Confederate Hellcat, the 1200cc Boxer-engined Lo-Rider is a nasty-looking stubby musclebike that takes BMW's conservative image and beats it to a pulp behind the school toilets. The Lo-Rider is nearly ready for production if interest is high (which it will be) - and BMW are already talking about a mix-n-match sales process that lets customers choose their own headlight, seat and tail units, pipes and paint schemes for a true factory custom vibe. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

BMW working on multi-functional Smart Key

By Emily Clark

23:16 October 23, 2008 PDT

BMW working on multi-functional Smart Key

BMW Group Research and NXP Semiconductors have developed a prototype multifunctional car key that can incorporate contactless payment, personalized access control and even functions like public transport e-ticketing. Creating new usage scenarios for future consumers, the prototype is powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip and allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments using their car key. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

All-electric MINI E plugs-in to L.A. Auto Show

By Noel McKeegan

19:54 October 20, 2008 PDT

All-electric MINI E plugs-in to L.A. Auto Show

In a further sign that full-electric drive vehicles are headed for the mainstream, BMW Group will showcase a lithium-ion battery powered version of the MINI at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show ahead of a pilot project that will see 500 of the cars evaluated on US roads in 2009. Based on the current MINI Hatch, the MINI E will initially appear in two-seater form with rear seats dropped to make way for the battery pack. Rather than an in-hub motor arrangement, an electric motor mounted under the bonnet drives the front wheels through a single-stage helical gearbox derived from the Cooper S, and being all-electric, the full power kicks-in from a standing start delivering quite adequate acceleration of 0-62 mph in 8.5 seconds with a top speed electronically-limited to 95 mph. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

The BMW Concept X1

By Noel McKeegan

22:33 October 9, 2008 PDT

The BMW Concept X1

BMW has signaled an expansion to its X series line with the World premiere of its Concept X1 at the Paris Motor Show. Described as the "first Sports Activity Vehicle in the premium compact segment" and clearly sharing the design DNA of other X series models which first hit the streets with the first generation X5 back in 1999, the car being shown in Paris is expected to be very close to the production model which is due for release within one year. Read More

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