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Faraday Future's new CEO hails from BMW's i8 team
The reports were true: Faraday Future is changing CEOs. The automotive startup's CEO Jia Yueting has stepped down and will be replaced by Dr. Carsten Breitfeld (above), the former head of BMW's i8 development program and the co-founder of rival EV maker Byton. The choice isn't entirely coming out of the blue, according to Breitfeld. He has apparently known Yueting for "a number of years" and even talked about the possibility of joining the company in the past. Yueting's "vision for how the mobility eco-system will transform the industry" played a significant role in the decision to join, Breitfeld said.
BMW Vision M Next: An autonomous car for people who love driving
There's a fear from some that when cars drive themselves, that'll be the end of the joy of driving. Why even get behind the wheel if your vehicle can get you to your destination while you sit back and relax? BMW -- which boasts the tag line "the ultimate driving machine" -- has a concept that'll appease the future-looking owner that doesn't want to deal with the horrors of gridlock but needs to feel like they're in control while carving up mountain passes.
ICYMI: Catch up on a busy week of Engadget reviews
It has been a busy few weeks when it comes to product announcements, and that means we at Engadget have been reviewing a number of new devices. This week alone we shared our thoughts on laptops from Lenovo, Microsoft, Apple and ASUS, breaking down what each does well and what we think needs some work. We also took a look at the new iPad Pro -- which might as well be a laptop, given its price and the way Apple is positioning it -- and, for a change of pace, BMW's "hybrid supercar," the i8 Roadster.
BMW’s i8 Roadster is a daily driver in supercar’s clothing
I'm a firm believer that cars can be art. Rolling pieces of design that are a snapshot of a point in time. Very few vehicles do that more right now than the BMW i8 Roadster. A supercar that's got one foot in the future and the other in the now. Except it's not really a supercar; it's something else, and that's OK.
BMW's next generation of hybrids relies on modular electrification
BMW's alternative-fuel interests go beyond plug-in hybrids. Sure, the company has been building a battery-powered ecosystem, with cars like the city-styled i3 and i8 sports Coupe and Roadster serving as the testing grounds for tech that will later trickle down through the rest of the model line. But the company is also licensing its electrification technology to Karma's recently resurrected luxury EV sports car, the Revero, in addition to luxury boats from Torqeedo and yachts from Hinckley.
BMW's latest hybrid is the i8 Coupe
BMW's newest hybrid i8 Coupe is the 2+2 answer to your "What if I don't want a convertible?" question. Like its Roadster sibling that debuted at the LA Auto Show last November, the Coupe hits 369 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque thanks to the internal combustion power plant driving the rear wheels, and 34 amp-hour electric motor powering the fronts. This is how BMW does all-wheel drive. There are improvements abound, with energy capacity jumping from 7.1kWh to 11.6kWh and an overall 12 horsepower increase over last year's model. BMW says that this and the Roadster can go 18 miles on pure electric power, with the equivalent of 70 miles per-gallon fuel efficiency pending EPA testing.
BMW is reportedly making an all-electric four-door sedan
Like most car companies, BMW has been dabbling in electric vehicles lately, with models like the all-electric Mini and a longer-ranged version of its electric i3 model. The car company has to keep up with its competitors, like Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, so it's launching a low-slung, four-door sedan into to the BMW "i" series. According to Bloomberg, the four-door EV is planned for sale by 2021 and will take a spot in between the city-styled i3 and the i8 sports car. There are no details on a specific model name, as yet, however.
BMW's updated EV plans include a 3-door Mini
BMW's plans to electrify the Mini go well beyond an early experiment and a plug-in hybrid. The Bavarian brand has unveiled the next steps of its EV strategy, and the highlight is an all-electric version of the 3-door Mini due in 2019. In theory, you won't have to splurge to avoid a gas-guzzler. The automaker is saying precious little about what the Mini EV will entail, but it'll be built in Britain (of course) using a German powerplant. Want something bigger? Don't worry -- it's just the tip of the spear.
BMW uses Google's augmented-reality tech to preview your i3
It's difficult to get a feel for what a personalized car will look like in real life. You can't get a realistic perspective by customizing a car on the web, but visiting the dealership frequently means having to guess what your color choices look like. BMW doesn't think you should have to choose. It's testing a BMW i Visualizer app that uses Google's depth-sensing Tango technology to help you preview your ultimate i3 or i8. If you visit dealerships in several countries (including the US and UK) during the weeks ahead, you'll get to configure and walk around a virtual car in augmented reality. You can't sit in it, unsurprisingly, but you can poke your head inside to see if the layout is as posh as you thought it would be.
BMW's autonomous luxury car will launch in 2021
During a shareholder meeting, BMW CEO Harald Krueger dropped some news about an upcoming autonomous car based on the already futuristic i8. The electric vehicle will be called the i Next and will launch in 2021. That date is a good indicator that most us won't see the benefits of self-driving automobiles well into the 2020s.
BMW's key EV executives depart for Chinese startup
Several key executives behind BMW's well-regarded i8 and i3 electric vehicles have been hired away by a little-known China-based company called Future Mobility. The German automaker confirmed to Engadget that "BMW i" division head designer Benoit Jacob, head of product management Henrik Wenders and powertrain developer Dirk Abendroth have departed. They'll be joining Carsten Breitfeld, who left BMW last month to become CEO of Future Mobility Corp. The Chinese startup is funded in part by Tencent Holdings, a $200 billion company with divisions ranging from gaming to messaging.
BMW's next-gen Project i focuses on autonomous driving
When BMW talks about wanting to build the most intelligent car, it's not joking around. The automaker is kicking off a Project i 2.0 initiative that will push autonomous and networked driving technology in the same way that Project i boosted electric cars. In fact, BMW claims that it'll "lead the field" for self-driving tech -- no mean feat when seemingly everyone has similar ideas. The centerpiece is an iNext vehicle that will supposedly "set new standards" for autonomy, connectivity, EV tech, mapping and sensors.
AutoExpress: BMW's futuristic hybrid is getting an engine upgrade
BMW's futuristic plug-in hybrid is so popular that the company can't keep up with demand, a problem that's likely to get much worse next year. Auto Express believes that BMW is about to release a second, high(er) performance version of the i8 with a bigger engine, sportier design and fewer seats for passengers. The biggest difference will be under the hood, where the current 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine will be ditched in favor of a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit that comes with a fourth cylinder.
BMW can't build its $135,000 plug-in hybrid fast enough
Gas may be cheap right now, but even the well-to-do prefer not to burn it. BMW is doubling the production pace of its 357 horsepower i8 plug-in hybrid car -- which runs 23 miles or so on electricity alone -- to around 20 vehicles per day. The automaker is bumping the numbers to meet demand and cut the four-month waiting list in half. As our sister site Autoblog pointed out, that's a mere .04 percent of an F-150's production, but then again the i8 costs around four times as much.
BMW wants plug-in hybrid options for all its major models
Let's say you've been itching for a plug-in hybrid BMW, but the i3 SUV isn't your style and the i8 is a bit too sporty. Well, maybe your patience will pay off as the automaker's recently announced that the platform powering the aforementioned rides will make its way to the "core-brand models." This starts with a 3-series eDrive prototype debuting in Miramas, France. What's under the hood? a TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder that's based directly off the power-plants of the i3 and i8, as noticed by Autoblog. BMW says that its plug-in hybrid tech is flexible enough that it can go into basically any of its vehicles and that the implementation can happen pretty quickly, too. If you're curious as to what it all looks like, we've embedded an official mock-up image after the break.
Extended range BMW i3 to cost $45,300, will drive twice as far
Toying with the idea of taking BMW's first all electric vehicle on a road trip? You might want to look into its extended range options. For an additional $3,950 on top of the BMW i3's $41,350 base price, buyers can augment the vehicle with a two-cylinder engine, roughly doubling the car's usable range. The option is a little more expensive than expected, but then again, so was the entire car. The 34 horsepower motor works as a generator, topping off the i3's battery after it drains to a preset level. Think of it as German efficiency: the add-on's tank only holds 2.4 gallons of gas -- we wouldn't want your lead foot wasting it, now would we?
BMW i8 to use smartphone-style hardened glass for noise and weight reductions
We're used to seeing toughened glass on our phones and tablets, where it protects screens from chips and cracks. BMW, however, plans to use the substance on a much grander scale -- the automaker just revealed that its upcoming i8 hybrid will be the first mass-produced car to use hardened glass. The currently unnamed material will reduce noise and weight in windows behind the windshield. As BMW doesn't have to use thick glass to maintain strength, it can produce acoustically damped windows that weigh half as much as they would otherwise. We'll have to wait until the i8's arrival in 2014 to see how well this component choice works on the road, but it could lead to a future of lighter cars that still offer quiet interiors.
BMW readying vehicle loaner program to help i3 buyers avoid range anxiety
Range anxiety? Clearly, the decisive issue of today's automotive age. In an effort to avoid "pulling a Tesla" (or "pulling a Musk," as it's uttered in some circles), BMW is reportedly planning to offer petrol-powered loaners to i3 buyers who need to -- you know -- actually drive somewhere other than work. All snark aside, it's clear that the 80 to 100 mile range on the 2014-bound i3 won't mesh with longer road trips -- at least not until the charging infrastructure advances by a few years -- and that's a problem that could sway potential buyers into siding with a more conventional automobile. According to WardsAuto, however, BMW is piecing together a program that would allow i3 buyers to grab a gasoline-powered Bimmer when long hauls are necessary, and the loaner program will be bundled into the cost of the car. Of course, no one's saying what kind of limits will be put in place here, but you can rest assured that the bigwigs in Munich won't tolerate any abuse.
BMW opens i Store in sync with London Olympics, shows tourists their electric destiny
Technology companies have been lining up to milk the London Olympics spotlight for all it's worth. BMW isn't shy about taking its turn, but it's not looking to cash in -- directly, we mean. The automaker is instead using its just-opened i Store to showcase everything electric and hybrid for downtown visitors who aren't busy watching the cycling. Its centerpieces are unquestionably the i3 and i8, which won't even go on sale until many months after the summer games' closing ceremonies; the i3 on the floor is closer to the street model, though, and will tease EV drivers with BMW's option packs. Should that make your bank account cringe far too soon, the i Pedelec scooter and the i Wallbox charger will be hanging around as well. If you didn't book a ticket to Heathrow in time, don't panic: the i line is going on a world tour this year that starts in Rome, swings past the US and Japan, and comes full circle to London in 2013.
BMW i8 Concept Spyder takes to the road, sounds almost as gorgeous as it looks (video)
It's been less than a year since our first opportunity to get up close and personal with BMW's i8 plug-in electric car, and now the German automaker is back to tease a whole new beast. The Concept Spyder made a static appearance over the weekend, but today the sportier i8 has returned to the spotlight, with video footage in tow. BimmerPost managed to share some clips via YouTube, including a straight-cut-gear-fueled drive around a parking lot and across a lamp-lit bridge, somewhere in the Eastern U.S., believe it or not (take note of the I-95 sign in the first few seconds). You can also gawk at some side-to-side pans of the Spyder's exterior, with a few HD interior close-ups to boot. And where can you find said stimulating simulations? Buckle up and click past the break.Update: That's Miami there in the bridge scene. A perfect setting for the Spyder test drive.
