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BMW gets exemption to allow self-parking 7 Series in US [w/video]

The US-spec 2016 BMW 7 Series is gorged with enough technology for it to qualify as a finalist in our Technology of the Year award. But not all of the tricky bits found on the European-spec car are offered Stateside, like the automated Park Assistant Plus that lets a driver remotely move the car into and out of a parking space using the touchscreen keyfob. The reason is Section S5.3 of Standard No. 114 of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which dictates that "the service brake... be depressed before the transmission can be shifted out of park.'" Since Park Assistant Plus is remote controlled, the brake pedal isn't pressed when the car shifts from Park into a gear. Automobile reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conceded the law is too vague, and granted BMW's request for an exemption to bring the convenience feature to the US. NHTSA said that the point of the law was to have brake actuation during the transition from Park to a forward or reverse gear, not to insist that someone actually presses the brake pedal. BMW said it plans to bring Park Assistant Plus to the US soon, but the carmaker doesn't yet have a firm timeline for the move. To us that seems like a small yet significant victory as the marketplace fills up with cars that have abilities beyond the current laws to manage. Now if we could just get that whole FMVSS headlight issues worked out and enjoy some of that tasty Matrix and MultiBeam lighting. You can watch a video of the BMW system in action in the video below.

Toyota launches BMW-powered Verso in Europe

BMW makes some sweet-revving engines, but its own vehicles aren't the only ones running BMW engines. So do the latest from Rolls-Royce and Mini, of course, as well as a handful of Peugeots and Citroëns thanks to its joint engine program with PSA. Wiesmann uses BMW engines, as did the famous McLaren F1. And now we can add one more to the list.
That would be the Toyota Verso, a Corolla-based minivan which Toyota builds in Turkey and sells in Europe and a few other markets overseas. The Verso is also now officially the first beneficiary of the partnership between Toyota and BMW as the Japanese automaker has released the MPV with BMW's 1.6-liter turbodiesel four.
The 111-horsepower engine is coupled to a Toyota transmission and joins the Verso range as the fourth (and least powerful) engine in the lineup, alongside the 122hp 2.0 diesel and the gasoline options with 1.6 liters and 160 hp and 1.8 for 180. Future collaborations between the two automakers will include fuel-cell development, a new joint sportscar platform, lightweight bodywork research and a new generation of lithium-air batteries. See the press release below for further details.

Upcoming new BMW X6 leaks out ahead of full reveal

The X5 may have been the first BMW crossover on the market when it arrived in 2000, opening the door to more high-riding Bavarians to follow, but it's been replaced twice over now. The X3 is on its second generation, and with the X1 having been introduced in 2009 and the X4 soon to hit showrooms, that makes the X6 - introduced in 2008 - the oldest crossover in the BMW lineup. But it won't be for much longer.
Soon BMW will reveal the all-new X6, based on the latest X5 but with that tell-tale slanted roofline. But before it gets the chance, a handful of images have leaked their way all over the Internet to give us an advance look at what to expect.
The overall shape of the new X6 comes across as familiar, if a bit less of an awkward take on the vehicle that (for better or worse) launched the crossover coupe segment. Up front the twin kidney grilles and headlights are larger, in keeping with the latest BMW design language, and the bumper less horizontal and more dynamic. Towards the back there's a sharp crease above the wheel arch blending into the more rakishly shaped tail lights, while the metallic vent behind the front wheel arch lends the flank an even sportier appearance.