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BMW, Mini to offer Amazon Alexa in all models beginning next year

Voice recognition has been available in cars for years now, but the technology has improved, and found its way into our pockets and our homes. With applications like Siri and gadgets like the Amazon Echo essentially acting as digital personal assistants, the ways we interact with technology through our voice have advanced significantly in recent years. BMW plans to take advantage of the evolved voice technology, and will offer Amazon Alexa in every BMW and Mini model beginning in the middle of 2018. Drivers will be able to use the usual Alexa features (or "skills" in Amazon speak) to get the latest news and weather, provide entertainment, or remotely control their smart home gadgets. Alexa will also perform car-specific duties, such as navigation or locating nearby businesses. Users can also check on movie times, request specific playlists or even order products from Amazon through Alexa. View 5 Photos It's the logical next step for BMW, which has allowed owners to check the status or control features of their car through Alexa's BMW Connected skill since last year. Users won't need to bring their smartphone along for the Alexa to work, as BMW and Mini models will be equipped with their own SIM cards. Alexa will be available in cars in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. As our friends at Engadget point out, the timing is important, as Amazon risked being left behind by the likes of Apple and Google, which offer their technology in vehicles via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Amazon would do well to expand access beyond the three markets in-car Alexa will launch in, for exactly the same reason. Check out the video above for how BMW envisions users interacting with Alexa. We really hope some lucky M4 owner does, in fact, actually order a pizza while drifting on the deck of an aircraft carrier. That's a future we want to live in. News Source: BMW, Engadget Auto News BMW MINI Technology Videos Amazon Amazon Alexa alexa

BMW M2 is proof good things come in small M-badged packages

BMW released the new M2 several months ago. But it wasn't until today that we got to see the new sport coupe in the metal here on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show. The spiritual successor to the legendary BMW 2002 Turbo from the 1970s, the new M2 packs a potent inline-six up front driving the rear wheels. That 3.0-liter turbo six is good for 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque, paired to either a six-speed manual or available seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. In a package weighing just 3,500 pounds (a little less with the stick, a more with the DCT), that's enough to send the M2 from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in as little as 4.2 seconds (4.4 with the manual) and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. That's enough to make us forget all about the M235i that packs 45 fewer horsepower and the previous 1 Series M Coupe with 30 less – and makes us second-guess the prospect of the costlier M4 and its 60-horse advantage. Throw in other goodies like 19-inch Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber, an active differential, and a seriously aggressive-looking body kit, and the new M2 suddenly looks like a world-beater that we can hardly wait to drive. BMW at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2016 in Detroit. BMW is set to enter its anniversary year of 2016 on a powerful note. With the centenary of its founding just around the corner, the company is using the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), taking place in Detroit from 11 – 24 January, to host the world premieres of the new BMW M2 and BMW X4 M40i performance models. Joining the two new cars at the stand will be the trailblazing BMW i models and innovative services covering every aspect of electric mobility. BMW ConnectedDrive, meanwhile, is showcasing its latest range of applications and systems, such as Remote Control Parking. The BMW Group's successful involvement in North America dates back more than 40 years. Bayerische Motorenwerke has been represented in the USA by its subsidiary BMW of North America since 1975, and the company went on to build its own production facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1992.

BMW teases 3.0 CSL Hommage concept

If you're a fan of the Batmobile (no, not that Batmobile), we've got good news for you. BMW is building a concept that pays tribute to the original 3.0 CSL, and it's being unveiled at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on May 22. Judging by the teaser image pictured here, it's going to be hot. According to BMW, the Hommage concept "is a nod to the engineering achievement exemplified by the BMW 3.0 CSL in its lightweight design and performance." Furthermore, the automaker says this concept will have "striking air deflectors, powerful wheel arches and a prominent roof and rear spoiler." The main focus of the car is lightness, and BMW trumpets the use of weight-saving materials both inside the cabin, as well as throughout the bodywork. That's all we know right now, but we expect good things. After all, BMW stunned us with its M1 Hommage concept a few years ago. Here's hoping the iconic CSL's throwback is just as good. BMW 3.0 CSL HOMMAGE. MOTOR SPORT WITH AN ELEGANT CHARACTER. Munich/Cernobbio. On 22 May 2015, the BMW Group will unveil the new BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage to the global public for the first time at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. This model is the BMW Design Team's tribute to the BMW 3.0 CSL, a timeless classic and iconic BMW Coupe from the 1970s. The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage is a nod to the engineering achievement exemplified by the BMW 3.0 CSL in its lightweight design and performance. The Hommage draws on the character of the earlier model and endows it with cutting-edge materials to translate it into the present in a new and exciting guise. Exclusive, confident, athletic: the exterior design. The design of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage exudes sheer dynamics, with the body framed by striking air deflectors, powerful wheel arches and a prominent roof and rear spoiler. The stretched flanks serve as an elegant counterpoint to the distinctly sporty front and rear end. Subtle and finely sculpted surfaces convey dynamics and exclusivity, while the extensive use of carbon fibre for the lower section highlights the car's systematic lightweight design concept. Elegant purism: the interior design. The rigorously pared-down interior of the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage renders its lightweight concept not only visible but tangible as well. All the elements in the cabin are absolutely essential and each constituent has a high-quality structural or driving-related function.