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BMW Motorrad celebrates 90 years with new R nineT roadster [w/video]

90 years is a heck of a long time by any standard, and as good a cause for celebration as we've ever seen. That's how long BMW has been making motorcycles for, and it's celebrating with the retro cafe racer you see here - as promised and previewed.
Dubbed the R nineT (for 90 years), the latest product from BMW Motorrad traces its roots back to the original 1923 BMW R 32. And like the original, it's powered by a boxer twin - in this case, a 1,170cc air- and oil-cooled unit delivering 110 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque. All that muscle is packed into a classically-styled roadster that looks ready to line up next to a Moto Guzzi Griso, Triumph Thruxton or Ducati SportClassic.
The neo-retro styling drapes a unique tubular steel spaceframe chassis that uses the engine as a stressed member. The inverted telescopic front fork is borrowed from the S 1000 RR superbike and a paralever swingarm with spring strut suspends the rear. That's where you'll find a removable rear pillion for an extra passenger and dual tailpipes mounted on the left side, swappable for a titanium Akrapovic exhaust - just one of many customization options BMW Motorrad is offering for the R nineT.

BMW 2 Series shows us its insides

We've already seen the upcoming BMW 2 Series testing in both coupe and convertible body styles, and now we're getting our first glimpse inside the new entry-level coupe. Judging by the sportier exterior that we've seen in previous spy shots, this car appears to be equipped with an M-Sport package, so this is likely not what the base interior will look like.
Compared to the current 1 Series, this new coupe will have cleaner cabin design including fewer buttons on the center stack and an instrument panel with more of a dual-brow design. This car has cloth seats with what appears to be a suede-like accent trim and blue stitching, and the seat's pattern is mimicked on the door panel. The 2 Series will also have a better integrated iDrive controller that operates the widescreen display mounted atop the instrument panel in a similar fashion as what we've seen recently on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLA-Class.
As mentioned about the exterior, the bigger wheels, blue brake calipers, dual exhaust outlet and subtle decklid spoiler all lead us to believe that this is the M-Sport, but it isn't sporty enough - inside or out - to make us think this is the rumored M2 model.

Audi investing $30.3 billion through 2018 for product expansion

How does Audi plan to reach two million units in annual sales and pay for the 11 new models it's adding to its lineup - an expansion that may include models named SQ2, Q9 and F-Tron? By increasing its investment to 22 billion euros ($30.3 billion US) between now and 2018. That figure represents an increase of about 500 million euros over the previously planned outlay, according to a report by Automotive News, and that could be due to Audi wishing to goad the momentum that pushed it to 1.5 million annual sales two years ahead of schedule.
It's also about staving off the challenges from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Now that BMW has been able to turn some of its attention away from its "i" series of Megacity cars, it will reportedly spend more than planned in 2014 as it continues the rollout of ten all-new vehicles and 15 new-generation vehicles through the end of next year. Mercedes, having been dropped to third in the sales race, is preparing to add 13 new cars over the next six years.
Audi's money is going into technology, into product like the next-generation TT and the Q1 and production expansions and upgrades all over the world. The expenditure represents just under a fourth of Volkswagen's 84.2 billion-euro ($115.7 US) outlay devoted to taking the number-one global automaker title away from General Motors and Toyota by 2018.