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BMW looking to fix i3 acceleration problem uncovered by Consumer Reports

The BMW i3 has been hailed in some quarters as the future of electric mobility, what with its innovative carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body and commitment to sustainable materials wherever possible. The modernist little hatch is even available with a 650cc two-cylinder gas engine with 34 horsepower to act as a range-extender for those who want it. However, that optional engine might have a drawback - at least for the moment.
Consumer Reports brought the problem to light when one of its drivers was behind the wheel of an i3 using the range-extender. When the driver attempted to pass another vehicle on a rolling, two-lane road, the BMW suddenly had no power to accelerate - a scary situation. CR started examining the car and found something pretty shocking: After driving at a constant speed for a while without any regenerative braking in range-extended mode, acceleration to 60 miles per hour plummeted from about 9 seconds normally to a staggering 27 to 40 seconds in their testing.
A BMW spokesperson told CR that it knows about the problem and has a fix coming next spring that also works on current models. The upgrade includes a state of charge indicator, a warning about loss of power and uses the car's navigation to boost the battery before driving on rolling terrain. It is not clear if the severe power deficiency will also eventually result in a recall.

BMW adds new entry-level 320i model, priced from $33,445*

Fans of the new BMW 3 Series here in the US have likely been waiting for one of two models to arrive: the new M3 or the diesel-powered 335d. Well... keep waiting just a little bit longer. Here at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW is showing off the new entry-level 320i that will join the 3 Series lineup this spring, and rather than bringing added performance or efficiency, this car is boasting affordability above all. The 320i has been on sale in other markets since the current-generation 3 Series was introduced, but it goes on sale in the US with a starting price of $33,445 (*)including $895 for destination, which is $3,405 less than the current starting price of BMW's well-liked sedan.
In other countries, the 320i uses either a 1.5- or a 2.0-liter inline-four (both turbocharged), and the US version of the car will be getting the latter engine producing 180 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. For comparison, the current 328i, which uses this same engine, produces 240 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque. As expected, performance of the 320i will suffer with BMW estimating a 0-60 mile-per-hour time of 7.1 seconds, but it still has the same 130 mph top speed as the 328i. Oddly enough, despite the lower output, BMW's expected fuel economy for the 320i equipped with rear-wheel-drive and the eight-speed automatic transmission actually matches that of the current 328i with 23 miles per gallon city and 33 mpg highway, and those numbers are actually lower than the 328i with the manual gearbox.
It sounds like most of the usual 3 Series options will be available on the budget-minded 320i, including the choice of xDrive all-wheel drive, BMW Assist and numerous packages including a Sport pack and Premium pack. For a lot more information on the 320i, most of it general information on the F30 3 Series, scroll down for BMW's press release.

Toyota close to licensing deal with BMW for fuel cell technology

For over a year now, we've been hearing about a potential partnership between Toyota and BMW on everything from sports cars to lithium-ion batteries, but one of the first cooperative projects between these two automakers could bring Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell technology to a BMW vehicle. Reuters is reporting that an announcement is likely to be made as soon as later this week regarding a BMW fuel cell vehicle that could be in production by 2020 with a prototype running around by 2015.
The last we heard of Toyota's fuel cell technology, it was in the FCV-R Concept that we saw at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, but there is no word how far along in development this system is. If it does come to fruition, such a vehicle for BMW would build on the automaker's commitment to hydrogen that started with the Hydrogen 7, which unlike a fuel cell vehicle, simply ran on hydrogen fuel rather than converting it to electricity for use in motors. We're definitely interested where this Toyota/BMW tie up could be headed.