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Rendered Speculation: BMW X2 is X1's sporty sibling
Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW, Rendered Speculation  We're less than a month away from the official unveiling of the BMW X1 concept in Paris, but the boys from Bavaria are already planning a sportier, two-door version of their new compact 'ute. Dubbed the X2, this coupe-ish soft-roader will be to the X1 what the X6 is to the X5.
The 1-series-based X1 is currently carrying the codename "Sports Activity Wagon" (SAW), whereas the X2 is known internally as a "Sports Activity Runabout" (SAR). In keeping with BMW's new nomenclature and styling, the X2 will sport different bodywork, up-market materials, more standard equipment and a...
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Rumormill: BMW 8 Series on the way, no M-version planned
Filed under: Concept Cars, Sports/GTs, Euro, BMW, Rumormill 
Click on the image above for our high-res Concept CS gallery
With their scopes aimed squarely at the upcoming Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW's M performance division is rumored to be working on their own four-door luxury GT for a 2010 launch. With its styling based heavily on the BMW Concept CS (pictured above), the platform for the new flagship will be shared with the new 7 Series. Under the hood, most expect to see a 6.0-liter V12 based on the current M5's V10, or a twin-turbocharged V8 like the one rumored for...
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Rumormill: BMW considering four-cylinder 3-series for U.S.
Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Green, BMW, Rumormill  Four-cylinder BMWs are commonplace in Europe, but here in the States you can't buy anything Bavarian with less than six pistons. Inside Line is reporting that the German automaker may change that by adding the direct-injected 2.0L four-pot from Europe to the 3-Series. The 170-hp engine powers the 320i and 120i across the pond. The models are well-received there, and for good reason, too. The ultra-efficient powerplant averages over 38 mpg in the European combined test cycle while still providing the razor-sharp handling that is BMW's trademark.
BMW project director Oliver Friedmann said that a...
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BMW slashes V8 engine production in favor of fours
Filed under: Green, Plants/Manufacturing, BMW  The new BMW 7-Series has just stepped out from behind the curtain, and it's taken the stage to a house only half full. Demand for BMW's big engines has dropped so low that the house of the roundel says it can make enough 8-bangers to satisfy the world's demand using just one shift for four days.
A member of BMW's supervisory board put it plainly: "We are producing the wrong engines here." Even the sixes, the center of BMW's engine constellation, are being taken out of production in Munich to be replaced by those with two fewer cylinders in 2011. When the phase-out is...
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BMW helping disabled vets get back behind the wheel
Filed under: BMW, Lifestyle  Kudos to the crew at BMW, who recently donated a few cars, a handful of instructors and one of its test tracks to an injured Marine training class. A group of soldiers wounded in Iraq were invited to the track to learn performance driving techniques behind the wheel of some seriously desirable machinery, including the 650i coupe on the right. The vehicles were modified in order to allow the disabled soldiers to operate them, some with hand controls for Marines who had lost their legs in battle. To operate the throttle, drivers pull back a hand lever and push forward to operates the brakes.
Injured soldiers...
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Camping is for squares... the Mehrzeller Caravan Concept debuts in Düsseldorf
Filed under: Etc., Euro, BMW, Lifestyle 
Click above for high-res gallery of the Caravan Concept
 Yes, we've got more new from the recreational and commercial vehicle show going on in Düsseldorf, Germany. After the Fiat Portofino and VW Topos Sails concepts comes something intriguing straight from the RV industry itself... with a little help from BMW. It's called the Caravan Concept and it's by a company in Europe called Merhzeller. Designed by Christian Freisling and Thersa Kalteis, the Caravon Concept is a traditional hitched travel trailer that's skinned inside and out with more polygons than a...
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REPORT: BMW cancels development of E92 M3 CSL
Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, BMW, Special/Limited Editions 
There were around 1,400 examples of the BMW e46 M3 CSL built, and by all accounts they were exceptionally well received. However, according to Ludwig Willisch, the boss of the automaker's M division, the current e92 M3 won't get the same treatment. He - or perhaps the accountants - feel that "based on current numbers, there is most likely insufficient demand for the M3 CSL."
If a current scorching version of the e92 were to exist, it would have been bumped by anywhere from 36 to 56 horsepower, shed 200 pounds or more, worn some different tires and...
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BMW makes 2.1% price increase official
Filed under: Car Buying, Euro, BMW  BMW made it official today, after we told you about it "unofficially" last week. As expected, the German automaker is raising prices across its model range an average of 2.1 percent for the 2009 model year due to "...significant structural and economic changes in the marketplace." Regardless, the direct price increase of vehicle MSRP doesn't tell the whole story. BMW has also increased pricing on popular options (the Sport Package is up $450 on the 335i sedan and coupe) and removed some standard features (the premium Logic 7 audio system is no longer standard on the 335i -- now it's an $875 option) driving...
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Spy Shots: BMW M-tuned X5 and X6 in Spartanburg
Filed under: Spy Photos, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW 
Click above for high-res gallery of BMW X5 M and X6 M spy shots Despite earlier assertions to the contrary, all indications are now that BMW is preparing its first batch of M-tuned sport-utilities, including an X5 M and X6 M. Advanced-stage test mules for both have now been spied by a keen photographer right here in the United States, at BMW's Performance Center test track in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  The prototype X5 and X6 M have enlarged air intakes with white LED headlamps up front and aerodynamic rear bumpers with quad pipes poking out the...
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No Audi R8 competitor coming from BMW
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sports/GTs, Green, Supercars, BMW 
Click for a hi-res gallery of the BMW M1 Hommage
It's a sign of the times. After having rolled out the delectable M1 Hommage concept (pictured above), one BMW board member says that the Bavarian automaker has no intention of producing a supercar to compete with the likes of the Audi R8. Instead, BMW will focus on green technologies. The news comes straight from Klaus Draeger, the board member at the helm of the EfficientDymanics initiative. While Audi continues to produce more powerful and more desirable versions of the R8, Mercedes prepares entirely new supercars and Porsche continues to do what...
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