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Gus Van Sant casts the BMW i8 in soft light

BMW has spent the better part of a century building its reputation with fossil-burning transportation, but now it's banking heavily on the success of its new i family of electric vehicles. In order to succeed, it will need to sell examples of the i3, but sell the idea with the i8. And in order to do so, it is going to need some out-of-the-box promotional thinking. And that's just what it seems to have done with this latest campaign of television commercials.
The series of three (or at least that's how many have been released thus far) ads wax more poetic than most of the car ads we've seen. But while they might skimp on the technical details, they don't skip over the talent. The videos are the work of Oscar-nominated director Gus Van Sant, the cinematic artist best known for films like Good Will Hunting, Milk and Finding Forrester.
Van Sant has also solicited the voices of Sam Hazeldine (Caleb from Resurrection), Sting's daughter Mickey Sumner (Sophie from Frances Ha) and Michael Pitt (Jimmy from Boardwalk Empire), but doesn't hide them behind the microphone in the recording studio. Instead they serve as the face of Bavaria's new hybrid sports car, and the results are rather stunning. See for yourself in the trio of videos below.

BMW planning Zhi Nuo Chinese sub-brand, may export models

Automakers continue to pour big money into the developing market that is China, and new sub-brands born of joint ventures with domestic partners crop up on what seems like a weekly basis. The latest? According to reports, BMW and its Chinese ally Brilliance are forming a new sub-brand called Zhi Nuo ("The Promise") that will likely rely on existing or older BMW products as a basis for new models.
Previous reports had indicated that the sub-brand could build its offerings based on an older 3 Series model (presumably the E90 series), but newer rumors have the X1 crossover (shown) factoring in. The Zhi Nuo brand could receive its official unveiling as soon as later this month at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Perhaps most interestingly, Automotive News Europe reports that the automaker's ambitions for Zhi Nuo may extend beyond China's borders. It's not clear what markets BMW may be eying, but executives admit the company hasn't ruled out Europe.

The 2016 BMW M2 is a steroid-addled M235i [UPDATE]

UPDATE: As it turns out, BMW mixed up the weight specs in the official press materials. We spoke to BMW for confirmation, and the manual M2 weighs 3,450 pounds, the DCT car weighs 3,505. We've updated the text to reflect this. If you're looking for a featherweight M235i, you'll be disappointed. The extra power and goodies are offset by negligible weight savings. When we first got behind the wheel of the M235i early last year, BMW was quick to point out the spiritual link between the small quasi-M car and its ancestors, the 2002 Turbo and the E30 M3, but we couldn't help but think fondly of the more potent 1M Coupe. And while the M235i got a lot of things right, its weight and price took some of the shine off it. But more importantly, the intangibles that those older BMWs nailed was somewhat lacking in the M235i – while fun, it was somewhat distant, unlike the visceral 1M. Until we drive the 2016 BMW M2, those intangibles will remain intangible. But on paper, the M2 looks to be a super-M235i, buffed up with M goodies like an active rear differential and lightened suspension components. But if you're looking for a featherweight M235i, you'll be disappointed. The extra power and goodies are offset by negligible weight savings. With the manual it weighs 3,450 pounds, an 85-pound reduction. With the DCT, it's a wash at 3,505 pounds. At least the M2 looks like a proper M car. The side bodywork swells 2.1 inches up front and 3.1 inches in the rear to accommodate wide 19-inch forged wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The front end takes the M235i theme (itself an adrenaline-injected version of lesser 2 Series cars) and adds steroidal menace, with the expected larger intakes to feed the extra engine radiator. Out back, there's a diffuser in the rear tray that the M235i lacks, and the scallops that incorporate the taillights plainly telegraph the extra rear width. It's the M4's handsome younger sibling. Like the M235i to which its clearly related, the heart of the M2 is a 3.0-liter inline-six that inhales through a TwinScroll exhaust manifold-integrated turbocharger. High-precision direct injection, Double-VANOS, and Valvetronic are all present and accounted for, with some M goodies like pistons and crank bearings trickling down from the M3 and M4. The result is 365 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 343 pound-feet of torque available from as low as 1,400 rpm.