2007(07)m5 Black/black Navi Xen Moon Park Heat/cool Xen Sts Hk 19" Wheels Save! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

LA Design Challenge invokes biology for 2025 concepts [w/poll]

Participants in the annual LA Design Challenge always manage to come up with edgy, wacky designs for future vehicles, but with a theme of "Biomimicry and Mobility: 2025" this year's crop of cars might be the quirkiest we've ever seen. As usual, automotive designers from around the world participated in this year's competition, and all the designs will all be unveiled next week during the LA Auto Show with a winner being announced on November 21.
Chinese automakers made a strong showing with Qoros, SAIC Motor, JAC Motors (the company responsible for the Ford F-150 clone) and Changfeng all bringing interesting takes on the biology, human intelligence and sustainability theme. One of the more innovative ideas among these automakers is the Qoros Silk Road System allows autonomous vehicles to drive in packs similar to how ants travel. Speaking of ants, the SAIC Motor Mobiliant (shown above) gets its design from the shape of an ant's body, and, like the insect, it can climb building acting as a personal elevator as well. The JAC Motors design also merges vehicle and building design, while the Changfeng LaBrea inspired by the design of muscle fibers.
Other entrants include Subaru and US-based design teams for BMW, Toyota and Mazda. BMW's duo of concepts mimic plant and animal life. The LA Subways concept acts as a submersible, single-person vehicle to take advantage of the LA river, with a shape similar to an Ocean Sunfish. The Sustainable Efficient Exploratory Device (SEED) imitates the shape of a seed pod, and uses propulsion methods inspired by a shark, dragonfly and a water bug. Mazda's Auto Adapt might be the most car-like concept of the bunch, while the Subaru Suba-Roo and the Calty-designed, Toyota e-grus are the most mind-blowingly awesome.

BMW prices M2 at $52,695, X4 M40i at $58,795

BMW announced pricing for both the M2 and X4 M40i during the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The M2 will be the slightly more attainable of the two, priced at $52,695 (including the $995 destination charge). That's about the price of a base Porsche Cayman, and represents a $7,550 premium over the price of the next-step-down M235i ($45,145 delivered). For that much scratch, you get a 2 Series coupe amped up with a 3.0-liter turbo six good for 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. With all that muscle on tap, the M2 will rocket to 60 in 4.2 seconds (in M DCT form) and tops out at a typically German electronically-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. Deliveries start in April. If you need more than two doors (but not much more head room), BMW also rolled out the new X4 M40i at the Detroit Auto Show, and with delivery set to commence next month, it has now released pricing for that as well. The high-performance slant-back will command $58,795 (delivered) – or $8,100 more than the X4 xDrive35i. (That places it price-wise in between the base Macan S and GTS.) It packs a 355 hp turbocharged inline-six channeled to all four wheels, and is capable of reaching 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. THE 2016 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW IN DETROIT: - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW M2. - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW X4 M40i. Woodcliff Lake, N.J.: January 11, 2016 10:30 am EST /7:30 am PDT ... Today, the all-new BMW M2 and all-new BMW X4 M40i made their world debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2016 BMW M2. Making its highly anticipated world debut, the first ever BMW M2 features the renowned BMW M performance complimented by a sleek interior and exterior design. The new entry model of the BMW M GmbH is perfectly aligned with M tradition ensuring unbeatable driving dynamics on the roads and the track, embodying the true DNA of BMW M vehicles. A newly developed M TwinPower Turbo technology 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine produces 365 bHP and 343 lb-ft of torque between 1,400 and 5,560 with an overboost function raising this figure to 369 lb-ft between 1,450 and 4,750 catapulting the high performance vehicle from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds ( M DCT) with a top speed of 155 mph. Inspired by its motorsport roots, the BMW M2 sets the pace in its segment when it comes to agility, driving feeling, directional stability, steering precision and controllability at the limit, without any compromise in everyday use.

Why BMW doesn't plan to integrate Apple's iOS in the Car

While watching Apple introduce iOS in the Car during its WWDC keynote on Monday, we wondered how automakers, even the 14 who've already signed up to integrate this new in-car functionality of iOS 7, will feel about having the Cupertino company's mobile operating system supplant their own in-car systems. After all, some OEMs like Ford, General Motors and many luxury automakers have sunk millions of dollars into developing their own advanced infotainment, navigation and communication platforms like MyFord Touch, CUE and older systems like iDrive.
One automaker has now spoken up. A BMW spokeperson was interviewed by someone in the news department of British auto dealer group Arnold Clark and confirmed that the company would not be getting in line to integrate iOS in the Car anytime soon. The reason, as we suspected, is that BMW believes its own products developed over the last decade are both plenty good and already so deeply integrated with other systems of the car that, as told to Arnold Clark, "it would not be that straightforward to start changing all of the architecture of a car as has been implied [by Apple]."
While BMW isn't interested in spending more money to integrate Apple's services and functionality over its own, it has spent a good bit already to integrate iPhone functionality in its cars, including the relatively rare ability to support iPod Out and display Apple's own interface on Mini models with the optional Mini Connected feature, as well as committing to integrate Siri 'Eyes Free' functionality.