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Amazon is bringing Fire TV to cars and Dolby Atmos to its soundbars
Amazon plans to bring its Fire TV platform to in-car entertainment systems. Today, Amazon announced that Fire TV Edition for Auto will appear in future BMW and Fiat Chrysler vehicles. It will include access to Alexa, a touchscreen interface and offline playback capabilities. Content will be available through the vehicle's WiFi or LTE connection, a mobile hotspot or a WAN-enabled device.
BMW’s plug-in hybrid 745e delivers tech and luxury at a price
The buyers of electrified cars and SUVs typically purchase those vehicles to save money or to have a lower impact on the environment. The BMW 745e plug-in hybrid is a bit different. With a starting price of $95,550, it's definitely not catering to the frugal. It does reduce your carbon footprint, but not as much as I'd like.
BMW now has 500,000 EVs on the road
The number of electric vehicles on the road is growing exponentially. While it might have previously taken BMW three years to shift 100,000 models, the carmaker has now announced it's since sold five times that number -- 500,000 -- in the same amount of time, marking not only a major milestone for the brand, but for the EV market overall.
Electric Mini Cooper SE pre-orders are open in the US
The all-electric Mini Cooper SE will go on sale in the US in March, but if you've already made your mind up about getting one, you can stake your claim now. BMW has opened up pre-orders for the first mass-market EV take on the classic car.
BMW will finally support Android Auto in July 2020
BMW's effort to drag its phone integration into the modern era extends beyond ditching Apple CarPlay fees. The automaker is finally introducing Android Auto to its cars as of July 2020, when it'll be available in any vehicle using BMW Operating System 7.0 or later. It's a wireless connection, so you'll initially be limited to certain Google- and Samsung-made phones, but it should save you the trouble of plugging in when you just want some quick directions home.
Hackers targeted BMW, Hyundai in hunt for trade secrets
Two of the world's larger car makers were the victims of a sophisticated (but still not very successful) hacking campaign. Bayerricscher Rundfunk has learned that intruders from the hacking group OceanLotus slipped into the networks of BMW and Hyundai in an attempt to find trade secrets. BMW, at least, found the hackers quickly -- instead, it let them operate for "months" to gather data before blocking them at the start of December. No sensitive data would have leaked out of BMW, according to an anonymous security expert, and the attackers wouldn't have breached the central data center in Munich.
BMW will drop its Apple CarPlay fees (updated)
For years BMW has charged customers for access to Apple CarPlay. Initially, the automaker charged a $300 lifetime fee, but this summer, it introduced a yearly subscription model at $80 per year. That didn't go over well with drivers, especially because Apple doesn't charge car manufactures a fee to use CarPlay. Now, BMW says it will no longer charge a subscription fee for cars equipped with Apple Car Play in the US.
BMW spends billions to secure batteries and drivetrains for its EVs
BMW has announced its plans to make electric variants of all its most popular cars, in addition to high-end EVs like the upcoming all-electric i4 sedan. All of these cars will need batteries, and the company has just inked a deal to secure its supply from manufacturers CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) and Samsung SDI.
BMW's i4 electric sedan will boast a 373-mile range
Ahead of its official debut of the vehicle sometime in 2021, BMW has shared new details and images of its upcoming all-electric i4 sedan. According to the German automaker, the i4 will feature a new 80kWh capacity battery with a maximum range of 600km or approximately 373 miles. BMW also revealed that the battery weighs 550kg or about 1,213 pounds, and will be able to charge at up to 150kW.
BMW’s Z4 M40i is a powerfully fun roadster
Roadsters are fun vehicles. They're top-down, nimble little cars that are summertime molded into steel, rubber, and glass. BMW's latest incarnation of the Z4 is all of those things and more. While we were sent the more powerful version of the car, it's hard to imagine the smaller-engine model not delivering the same amount of smiles. But it's not all windswept hair and sunshine. There's the inevitable exposure to sunburn and BMW has a few tech versions of that in its roadster.
The all-electric Mini Cooper SE will start at $29,900
BMW has revealed the all-electric Mini Cooper SE will start at $29,900, less than the $35,000 estimate the automaker gave when it unveiled the vehicle in July. The car, which is the first broadly available Mini Cooper EV (following a concept model), will go on sale in the US in early March.
BMW plans to debut a 1 Series electric hatchback in 2021
While we've know for a while now that BMW plans to make electric variants of all its most popular vehicles, the company has now shared more definitive plans. In an interview with Auto Express, Robert Irlinger, the company's EV division chief, revealed BMW plans to debut an electric version of its 1 Series hatchback (pictured above) called the BMW i1 as early as 2021. Auto Express says the i1 will be an "entry-level" vehicle that will look like a conventional gasoline car (think: more iX3 than i3). What's more, BMW could launch the i1 as soon as 2021, according to the publication.
Even BMW’s ‘Vantablack’ X6 gets caught by LiDAR
BMW decided to paint one of its X6 SUVs black. But not just any black; Vantablack the darkest pigment ever created. Then they brought it to the Frankfurt Auto Show and put it in a room with flashing lights and a video screen. But seriously, if they just put it on the show floor it would have been impressive.
DOJ launches probe of automakers that agreed to California emissions rules
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into BMW, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen, the four automakers that came to a voluntary agreement with California to follow stricter fuel efficiency standards. After The Wall Street Journal broke the news, Ford and Honda confirmed they plan to cooperate with the investigation.
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.
China's latest retaliatory tariffs could pose trouble for Tesla
The escalating trade war between the US and China could have particularly steep consequences for car brands. China's Finance Ministry has announced countering tariffs across a range of products, including plans to resume a suspended 25 percent extra tariff on US cars on December 15th -- with an extra 10 percent for certain cars. This could make tariffs as high as 50 percent for some cars, and particularly damage automakers that ship many US-made cars to China, including Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
BMW revives 'lost' concept car
Concept cars -- after making the auto show rounds -- typically end up in an automaker's museum. But in 1970, BMW lost a concept car -- it just disappeared. But with today's technology and a whole lot of will, the lost car is back.
Ford, Honda and others agree to California's voluntary emission rules
The state of California and a quartet of auto manufacturers have agreed on a fuel efficiency deal in the wake of rollbacks at the federal level. Ford, BMW, Volkswagen and Honda have all signed up to a pledge to make their engines more efficient -- to the tune of 3.7 mpg -- every year until 2026. That's better than the rolled back standards as proposed by the EPA, but not as strict as those in the Clean Power Plan.
BMW adds an $80 yearly subscription for Apple's CarPlay
BMW has confirmed it will charge a subscription fee for Apple CarPlay. Drivers of 2019 models and onward will get a year's access for free, and then have to pay to continue to use the service, which allows owners to sync their iPhone with the car's infotainment system. It'll cost $80/£85 per year, or as was the previous outright cost, you can buy a lifetime subscription (20 years) for $300/£295. So if you're only planning on using the car for a couple of years, a yearly payment works out cheaper.
The Mini SE combines green power with go-kart handling
The EV market continues to expand, with more automakers releasing more vehicles. At auto shows, the cars of the future are now shown with electric powertrains instead of giant V8 engines. Automakers have also started looking backward for the vehicles of tomorrow. A few years ago, Mini sort of did that. The Mini brand, a subsidiary of BMW, has always had at least one toe in the nostalgia pool. So when the Mini SE appeared, fans of small cars and electrification were excited.