Navigation Leather Roof 2008 535xi on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW X4 reclaims dash of utility with Clemson student project [w/videos]

BMW seems willing to exploit every automotive niche it can find with creations like the four-door, 'crossover coupe' X4 and X6. Of course, these designs come with a compromise. That svelte fastback means that they just can't haul as much cargo as a more traditional, boxier hatchback. Fortunately, students at Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research might have a novel solution: the engineering graduate program has turned the crossover into a unique pickup.
Dubbed Deep Orange 4 concept, this functional prototype has an enclosed cargo area with a sliding glass panel that opens up to expose a pickup bed if more room is needed. Think of it as the GMC Envoy XUV of German crossovers. This isn't just an X4 with its roof hacked off, though. The students actually started with an X3 and grafted on this top later in addition to the two barn doors for access to the bed.
To make this project even more impressive, this pickup-crossover could conceivably be produced. The graduate students conducted an in-plant analysis of BMW's manufacturing abilities and went back to the university to create a plan for a low-volume vehicle that could actually be built. "The students working on this phase of the project did an excellent job of keeping costs down while finding optimal integration opportunities," said Rich Morris, vice president of assembly at BMW Manufacturing, in the university's release.

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.

BMW, Toyota outline new tech joint venture, new sports car

Back in June, Toyota and BMW announced a "memorandum of understanding" outlining plans for the two companies to join forces on future products and technology development. On Thursday, they signed a more formal and binding agreement that goes further into detail about the partnership, and it all sounds pretty exciting. The two announced they will work together in four main areas:
Joint development of a fuel cell system
"Set up a feasibility study to define a joint platform concept for a mid-size sports vehicle"