BMW News

  • 2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show

    Electric cars provide a zero-emission driving experience, but one of the most important raw materials for their batteries—cobalt—has a supply chain that needs some work. About half of the world's cobalt supply comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country with high rates of child labor under very poor working conditions. Now BMW wants to help overcome the social and environmental issues surrounding that raw material. DON'T MISS: Tesla Gigafactory Seeks North American Raw Materials To Cut Pollution In 2014, UNICEF estimated some 40,000 children work in the country's...

  • Ionity multi-brand European charging network
    BMW, Mercedes, Ford, VW, Audi launch Ionity high-power fast charging across Europe

    A group of automakers in Europe announced on Friday they will launch "Ionity," a network of high-power fast-charging stations to build out the continent's infrastructure for electric-car travel. When it's finished in 2020, Ionity will include 400 charging stations across multiple countries...

  • 2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show
    BMW, Mercedes invest in 'flexible car ownership' startup Fair

    How would you know that the standard model for individuals buying new cars is dying? Sure, you could point to car sharing services like Car2go or Zipcar. Or you might point to ride hailing companies like Lyft or Uber. Maybe you think the subscription model for the Hyundai Ioniq Electric...

  • 2018 BMW i3, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show
    Who sold 10,000 plug-in vehicles last month? (Not Tesla, Nissan, or Chevy)

    When consumers think of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, most likely conjure thoughts of Tesla, or perhaps Nissan with its Leaf and Chevrolet with its Volt and Bolt EV. However, none of those three brands managed to sell 10,000 plug-in cars during the month of September. That sales honor...

  • BMW i Vision Dynamics concept, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show    [photo: Tom Moloughney]
    Which (non-Tesla) maker will sell most electric luxury cars by 2020? Poll results

    Yes, yes, yes, we know: our readers and Twitter followers are largely very strong supporters of, and believers in, Tesla and its electric cars. Our challenge for last week's Twitter poll was that we get very, very few characters to post questions and a choice of four responses. So in asking which...

  • 2014 BMW i3 and 2014 Tesla Model S   [photo: Tom Moloughney]
    Will Tesla steamroller German luxury makers? Perhaps not

    It has become an article of faith among some Tesla fans and owners that the company will inevitably rise to compete with and ultimately defeat the titans of the global auto industry. This belief is especially prevalent for the luxury sector, where three German carmakers dominate the global market...

  • 2015 BMW i3 REx  -  Driven, Portland OR, April 2015

    The BMW i3 electric car is a tour de force of advanced engineering--and it was the most energy-efficient car sold in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015. Its body shell is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, riding on an aluminum platform containing the lithium-ion battery, the electric motor, and the crash structures. But you can't get AM radio in the car. In other words, no local traffic reports or news headlines for you, harried commuter. CHECK OUT: 2018 BMW i3 electric car range adds sportier i3s version We noticed this quirk in the BMW i3 REx extended-range electric cars tested over by...

  • 2018 BMW 530e iPerformance wireless charging
    BMW, Mercedes to offer wireless-charging options for plug-in hybrids next year

    Every one of the modern electric cars on the market for almost seven years requires plugging in a cord to recharge the battery using grid electricity. Inserting the cord into the socket takes just a few seconds, and most cars today are charged overnight. But soon there will be another option...

  • BMW i Vision Dynamics concept, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show    [photo: Tom Moloughney]
    Which maker will sell most electric luxury cars by 2020? Take our Twitter poll

    It has taken several years for European luxury makers to sort out what to do about the unexpected arrival of Tesla and its electric cars into a market they've dominated for decades. Sure, Lexus and a host of lesser Asian makes have competitive products somewhere between premium and luxury, but...

  • BMW i Vision Dynamics concept, 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show    [photo: Tom Moloughney]
    BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept previews all-electric four-door sedan

    If concept cars are meant to grab attention, then the BMW i Vision Dynamics Concept—an all-electric sedan that debuted Tuesday at the Frankfurt motor show—may have fulfilled its mission. With the huge, vertical twin-kidney BMW grille also seen on the BMW X7 SUV concept, the smaller...

  • Honda Urban EV concept teased ahead of Frankfurt auto show
    Green car concepts, production models at Frankfurt auto show

    Although a handful of automakers have opted to skip the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, there are still plenty of new green concept cars and production models confirmed to make their debut. Leading up to the media days of the 2017 Frankfurt show, we will continue to update this running list of what is...

  • Volkswagen TDI diesel vehicles owned by Phil Grate and family, Seattle, Washington
    Used diesel demand drops in Germany over fear of software upgrades

    Diesel-powered cars, long a staple on European roads, are starting to lose favor as million of dollars of inventory begins to pile up in used diesel models. The inventory, largely recent models certified under the superseded Euro-5 emission standards, has boomed recently over the possibility the...

  • 2018 BMW i3 and i3s

    While the 2018 BMW i3 will formally debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show, the company has released details ahead of time on the updates to the lineup of its compact electric car. While battery range stays the same as last year, a new i3s model (for Sport) has been added, with revised suspension and a Sport mode added to its drive-mode options. All 2018 i3 models get very mild styling updates, including full LED headlights as standard, plus the updated Version 6.0 of the iDrive interface and some new paint color and interior trim options. DON'T MISS: 2017 BMW i3 electric car...

  • MINI E electric cars used in vehicle-to-grid test. Photo by University of Delaware/Evan Krape
    All-electric Mini E for 2019 to appear at Frankfurt show in concept form

    The first Mini E, cobbled together by putting a battery pack where the rear seat used to be, was BMW's very first attempt at building a modern electric car. Only a few hundred were built, back in 2009, but the quick project gave the German company real-world experience on how electric-car drivers...

  • MINI E electric car used in vehicle-to-grid test. Photo by University of Delaware/Evan Krape
    Electric Mini to be made in U.K., despite BMW's Brexit worries (updated)

    Mini, despite being owned by BMW since 1994, has long been a decidedly British brand. But both employees and fans worried that its British roots might be overlooked as a decision on where Mini's electric car is to be built closed in. Most Mini production takes place at the brand's Oxford plant in...

  • 2014 BMW 328d
    EU investigating diesel collusion among Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, VW: report

    As numerous political probes over the years have famously shown, once investigators dig into the circumstances around an alleged crime, anything can happen. The September 2015 announcement by the EPA that VW Group engineers had admitted to deliberate cheating on U.S. emission tests of the company's...

  • 2017 BMW i3 and 2017 BMW i8
    BMW's plug-in car sales rise, keeping it in same class as Tesla, Nissan, GM

    Tesla may garner much of the buzz surrounding electric cars, but BMW has quietly become a significant challenger in the electric-vehicle sales race. Nissan, General Motors, and Tesla have all 100,000 to 300,000 plug-in vehicles globally, but this year, BMW and its Mini brand are on track to deliver...

  • 2019 BMW 3-Series, portion of spy shot from Motor Authority  [Image via S. Balfauf/SB-Medien]
    Fall debut for electric BMW 3-Series to fight Tesla Model 3: report

    In August 2016, when the first U.S. ads for the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid sport sedan hit the airwaves, they carried an interesting promise. "You will wait, and wait, and wait some more," the voiceover intoned, "all before that electric-car company's new model ever even arrives." That would be the...

  • 2018 BMW X3

    Over the last two years, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have released several all-electric concept cars that are thinly disguised production models to arrive in 2018 and beyond. But electric-car pioneer BMW's plans are less clear. Its sole recent electric concept car was the iNext luxury sedan shown more than a year ago; it'll be a production model in 2021, but only a low-volume halo car. DON'T MISS: Electric Mini officially confirmed by BMW CEO, also electric BMW X3 Meanwhile, its innovative and technologically advanced BMW i3 is now entering its fifth model year—and reports suggest the BMW i5...

  • 2014 BMW 328d xDrive Sport Wagon, New York City, Jun 2014
    What AWD vehicle has the highest fuel economy?

    "I want a fuel-efficient car, but I live in a snowy area, and won't buy one without all-wheel drive; what's the best?" It's a question we hear often. Whether or not you agree that AWD is a must-have in wintry climes, the selection of cars with high fuel economy and AWD is limited. DON'T MISS: 2014...

  • A semi-autonomous BMW 5 Series, on the highway outside of Munich
    Even BMW's hometown may ban older diesel cars

    Diesel-powered vehicles are facing a tough road ahead as more European cities move to ban older, dirtier, oil-burning cars. Diesel has long been the preferred fuel of European drivers thanks to its efficiency and lower carbon dioxide levels. However, mounting research has shown diesel-powered cars...

  • Proterra Catalyst electric bus
    BMW venture arm invests in U.S. electric-bus maker Proterra

    You can't buy one at your local car dealer, but electric transit buses have a significant role to play in reducing vehicular emissions and expanding the spread of electric-vehicle technology. Two companies have a majority of the U.S. market for electric buses, which is growing quickly if perhaps...

  • Rendering of BMW i5 electric crossover utility vehicle, from patent drawings [Indian Autos Blog]
    If BMW i5 is canceled, what does that mean for its electric cars?

    When it launched in 2013, the BMW i3 electric car was arguably the most futuristic automobile in mass production anywhere in the world. Its all-electric powertrain could be ordered with an optional range-extending engine, and it rode on an aluminum chassis topped with a strong but lightweight body...

  • Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car concept  [photo: Axel Harries]
    German electric-car industry centers in 'Silicon Saxony'

    Silicon Valley seems to grab many of the tech headlines in the United States, especially when it comes to autonomous vehicles, cars that plug in, and the future of transportation. Electric-car maker Tesla has undeniably contributed to Silicon Valley's automotive chops, but other makers are working...

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