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BMW i3 gets official worldwide

Even though we recently drove a near-production version of the BMW i3, the car still wore light exterior and interior camouflage. Today, BMW took off that little bit of camo and made a big announcement: The i3 will go on sale in the US for $41,350 in the second quarter of 2014. That does not include any state or federal incentives that could lower the price or the $925 destination fee. The i3 will debut with three trim levels, which BMW is referring to as Worlds: Mega (standard in the US), Giga and Tera.
The BMW i3 is chock-full of new technology afforded by its design as an EV from the start of development, which has resulted in a vehicle layout unique to the i3. BMW has named it LifeDrive architecture, and it features the Life Module and the Drive Module. The Life Module is the i3's pillar-less passenger cell, which is the first mass-produced monocoque made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The tougher-than-steel material is also 30-percent lighter than aluminum, which contributes to the i3's relatively light weight of 2,700 pounds (preliminary US figure) and, in turn, increases its energy efficiency. Expect more of this technology to find its way into future BMWs.
The Drive Module, a 100-percent aluminum chassis mounted under the Life Module, houses everything that makes the i3 go. It includes the 22-kilowatt, 450-pound lithium ion battery mounted as centrally as possible, and provides power to a rear-mounted electric motor that turns the rear wheels. With 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque from zero rpm, the single-gear i3 can accelerate from 0-30 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and 0-60 mph in about 7.0 seconds, but it has a top speed of only 93 mph. BMW says the i3 has a real-world EV range of 80-100 miles, and the standard charger can fill the battery in three hours. Opt for the SAE DC Combo Fast Charger and 30 minutes is all it takes for a full charge; 20 minutes will bump the battery to 80 percent. For customers who have range anxiety, BMW gives them the option to install a 34-hp, 650cc two-cylinder generator as a range extender for the electric drive system.

2016 BMW 435i ZHP Edition Coupe Quick Spin [w/video]

BMW will make a total of 100 ZHP 435i coupes for 2016. This is not one of them. Nope, it's their predecessor, what the company calls a "replica," based on a 2015 car. Think of it as Car Zero. Bimmer nerds (the ones who correct you if you call their car a "Beemer") will remember the ZHP package from the E46 3 Series. An internal option code that became insider lingo and a must-have for enthusiasts. They're still sought after today. Built from 2003 to 2006, the original ZHPs included a power boost (to 235 hp), a modified suspension, an M-Tech II body kit, and a unique shifter and shift knob. The new ZHP has a considerably longer list of equipment. It builds on a 435i coupe with the M Sport package and either a manual or automatic transmission. Additions begin with the new-for-2016 Track Handling package – 18" wheels, M Sport brakes, the Adaptive M Suspension, and Variable Sport Steering. To that BMW adds an M Performance limited-slip differential, M Performance exhaust, the M Performance Aerodynamics package, and the M Performance Engine Kit; horsepower goes from 300 to 335, torque jumps to 332 lb-ft for automatic cars or 317 on manuals. Yeah, it's a lot of stuff, but nothing you can't order on a car for yourself. So the process that let BMW make this replica so easily also contributes to a lack of specialness. All of the equipment is available either from the factory or through BMW's VIA personalization program. VIA components are spec'd at the time of ordering and then installed at port when the car lands in the US. BMW hasn't announced pricing yet, but we have a hunch a full-on ZHP will come in slightly lower than a car optioned a la carte (though we don't know, since BMW didn't tell us how much our car cost). The 4 Series we reviewed had all the ZHP equipment save the wheels and tires. All 2016 ZHPs will get v-spoke wheels finished in Orbit Grey and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires; the car we drove had a different 18-inch wheel design and Bridgestone Potenza S001 rubber. Driving Notes The 435i already has too much power. The M engine kit provides more of it. You may not be surprised to learn that we also enjoy chocolate-covered chocolate. Perhaps the saving grace of the questionable output bump, and the most transformative part of this package, is the mechanical limited-slip. Even without the grippier tires it's supposed to come with, the near-ZHP put it all to the ground smoothly and predictably.

Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.