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BMW reveals its gorgeous convertible 8 Series
It's been nearly 20 years since the American market has had access to one of BMW's Grand Touring 8-series, but that wait is now nearly over. At the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday, BMW finally lifted the veil (quite literally) on the new convertible iteration of the 850i xDrive.
BMW considers electric-only mode for hybrids in zero-emissions areas
BMW has a problem: with cities planning to either create zero-emissions zones or even ban gas-powered cars entirely, how does it keep its vehicles on the road? By turning them into ad hoc electric cars, apparently. In a conversation at the LA Auto Show, board member Klaus Froehlich told Reuters that BMW could make its hybrid cars run in an electric-only mode in polluted city centers where EVs might become the only option. The machines would use their connected technology and navigation to "automatically" disable conventional engines in these areas, Froehlich said.
BMW officially unveils its Vision iNext concept SAV
Remember BMW's vision of the future that we previewed this past September at an SFO airfield? Well, now everybody knows about it, because BMW revealed the Vision iNext to the world on Tuesday, ahead of the official start of the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
CarPlay and Android Auto now available on older Mazda models
Mazda has lagged behind other car manufacturers when it's come to introducing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to its range, only bringing them in as standard from the 2018 Mazda 6 and 2019 CX-9 and CX-5. Now, though, the technology can be retrofitted to all vehicles equipped with Mazda Connect from the 2014 model year. But the upgrade doesn't come cheap.
BMW will be the first foreign car maker to offer ride-hailing in China
If BMW is going to be a giant in mobility services, it'll need to make inroads into some major markets... and it's doing just that. The company now plans to launch a ride-hailing service in China in December, becoming the first international automaker to obtain a license in the country. Daimler had announced plans for a joint-venture service with Volvo parent Geely back in October, but BMW could be faster to actual service.
A Chinese startup may have cracked solid-state batteries
Solid-state batteries have long been heralded as The Next Big Thing after lithium-ion, with companies from all quarters racing to get them into high-volume production. Dyson, BMW and car manufacturer Fisker are just a few names that have been working on the tech for the last few years, but now, reports suggest a Chinese start-up might be the first to have cracked it.
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 will give EV batteries new life with recycling program
BMW is leading a consortium of companies with the goal of giving electric vehicle batteries new life after they've kicked the bucket as a car power source. The partnership with Belgian recycling firm Umicore and Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt will repurpose EV battery cells, using them for energy storage before stripping them of raw materials that can be reused in other products.
BMW's i3 is now an electric-only car in Europe
For years, BMW has offered its i3 electric car with a range extender option that used a gas engine to top up the battery and provide some extra driving distance. You'll have to kiss that feature goodbye if you live in Europe, though. BMW has dropped the range extender for European buyers now that the 2019 i3 has a larger-capacity 42.2kWh battery instead of the old 33kWh unit. The new EV provides 34 more miles of range (193 miles on the WLTP testing cycle) than the previous model. Combined with wider availability of fast charging stations, interest is "shifting to a pure-electric model" on the continent, a brand spokesperson told Autocar.
BMW throws all its new tech at the X5
The average BMW X5 never strays too far from asphalt. It's more at home navigating mall parking than on a backwoods trail. BMW is changing that with its latest X5, starting at $60,700 for the xDrive 40i. The new SUV (or Sports Activity Vehicle, as BMW calls it) ships with actual "sports" capabilities along with an impressive suite of new technology that's premiering on the X5. The result is a BMW off-roader with a new infotainment system, updated driver's assist features and a big pile of features that that should keep X5 owners of the future happy even if they never take it off-road. But they totally could.
EU probes BMW, Daimler and VW for colluding over clean emissions tech
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to determine whether BMW, Daimler and VW colluded to avoid competing with each other on clean emission technologies. The EU is assessing whether the companies met to limit the development of catalytic systems that reduce nitrogen oxide diesel emissions and particulate matter ("Otto" systems) from gas-powered cars.
BMW unveils its vision for the 'iFuture' of luxury vehicles
Our Demolition Man future is going to arrive just a bit sooner than we figured. Your next car may not be able to drive you to a local Taco Bell (since they all are in the Demolition universe), but BMW's iNEXT concept vehicle certainly hints at a smart, semi-autonomous, hands-off driving experience within the next decade.
BMW developed a self-driving motorcycle to further its safety efforts
This week, BMW Motorrad showed off a self-driving version of its R1200GS, a motorcycle that it spent more than two years developing. You can see in the video below that the motorcycle, sans rider, can start, accelerate, lean into turns and stop all on its own. But don't expect to see this bike on the roads anytime soon. The company explained that it created the self-driving motorcycle not for consumers but to learn more about how it can implement new safety features.
BMW will unveil its Formula E racer next week
The fifth season of the Formula E championship is scheduled to start on December 15th in Saudi Arabia, and it will be the first one where BMW participates as an official manufacturer. While all of the cars will use the same next-generation Formula E chassis designed by Spark Racing, the components inside (electronics, inverters, gearboxes and motors) and livery are up to the teams. For this BMW iFE.18 -- last seen while testing in Spain this spring -- the company said engineers who worked on drive components for its i3 collaborated with its racing team, in a way that should allow information to flow from the track to the street (and vice versa). We'll find out more about how it looks and works when it's officially unveiled on September 14th.
BMW will release its in-car voice-controlled assistant next year
BMW unveiled its Intelligent Personal Assistant at TechCrunch Disrupt today, which will give drivers voice control over their vehicle's settings, alert them to issues and let them check in on their car's health. It's scheduled to roll out in March of next year to all BMW models with the new BMW Operating System 7.0. "The always on-call technology platform is an intelligent, digital character that responds to the prompt 'Hey BMW' and has the ability to serve the driver in a range of ways from controlling vehicle settings, navigation and entertainment systems to explaining vehicle functions and even conducting a conversation," said BMW.
BMW unveils the tech-filled, aggressive-looking Z4 Roadster
BMW unveiled the new BMW Z4 Roadster at Pebble Beach, California this morning with a more aggressive design that takes cues from the 8 Series. Concepts of both cars were shown off last year at Pebble Beach which leads us to believe that BMW really likes to show off roadsters on golf courses.
Soon you won’t need a wake word to talk to your car
Voice assistants typically need a little nudge to listen to your commands. From "Hey, Siri," to "Hello, Google," to "Alexa," they all need to hear something (called a wake word or phrase) before doing your bidding. It's the same in the car. With the MBUX system you have to say, "Hey, Mercedes," to get the car to listen to you. Nuance, the company behind MBUX and a whole host of other automaker voice-assistant systems wants to do better.
Fossil will sell BMW-branded smartwatches next year
BMW is moving into the smartwatch game, but it's not actually making the devices itself. Instead, Fossil has struck a five-year deal to create BMW-branded watches and smartwatches, as part of its seemingly never-ending quest to offer a smartwatch for everyone's taste.
BMW launches a luxury ridesharing service in Seattle
BMW is taking on Lyft and Uber directly with the launch of a new ridesharing program. ReachNow, which up until now was just a car-sharing service available in Seattle and Portland, is expanding into ridesharing in the city of Seattle. Through an app, people in the city can hail a professional driver (or schedule one up to seven days in advance). This means it is competing with Uber's black car service, rather than the less expensive UberX.