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2014 BMW 2 Series is a 1 and then some

Pricing for the new coupe starts at $32,100 for the 228i and $43,100 for the M235i.
BMW has taken the wraps off its replacement for the 1 Series, the 2 Series, ahead of an official debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in January. Pricing for the new coupe starts at $32,100 for the 228i and $43,100 for the M235i that we showed you earlier today - not including $925 for destination. And before you break out the torches and pitchforks, know that those numbers compare favorably with the current 128i Coupe and 135is Coupe, which start at $31,500 and $43,550, respectively.

BMW i8 wins 2015 Car Of The Year award in UK

Those Brits sure do like those Bimmers, don't they? The BMW i8 plug-in hybrid was recently awarded UK Car of the Year from a group of more than two-dozen British automotive journalists, UK's Telegraph reported. Last year's winner of the first-ever such award? The BMW i3 electric vehicle. The i8 was feted for its combination of performance, styling and fuel efficiency. The car pairs a three-cylinder gas engine with a 96-horsepower electric motor and can go from 0-60 miles per hour in just over four seconds while having a fuel-economy rating of 76 MPGe. Last November, the i8 was given Autoblog's 2014 Technology of the Year award and the 2015 Luxury Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal, so the British journalists are not alone in their sleek PHEV love. "This is a truly great honor for BMW's visionary car and proof that sustainable mobility can be beautiful and fun," BMW spokesman Kenn Sparks told AutoblogGreen. Other winners for individual categories from the UK this year included the Rolls-Royce Ghost (which won for Best Luxury Car), Ford Mondeo (Best Family Car) and Renault Twingo (Best City Car). Check out our First Drive impressions of the i8 here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Telegraph via Hybrid Cars Green BMW Hybrid car of the year

BMW i3s traction control tech going in all BMW, Mini cars

The BMW i3s is essentially a warmed-up version of the i3 electric car we all know and love. The performance boost isn't huge — just 14 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque — but it also gets a new suspension, wheels and tires as well as an improved traction control system. We found the car to benefit from all the updates when we drove it for our First Drive Review, but now BMW has offered up more details on just how the traction control system of the i3s helps make it better to drive. The company says it'll expand the technology to all future BMW and Mini models as well. The i3s's system is calibrated to help it to pull away quickly from a stop, making full use of the instantaneous torque offered by the electric motor. It also improves stability when accelerating out of corners, when using regenerative braking and, of course, when the road conditions are less than ideal. The results are palpable, and with the other improvements the i3s definitely feels stronger off the line, as we found on our drive. It's also about a half-second quicker to 60 miles per hour, at 6.8 seconds. The secret is in the response time of the stability control, which BMW claims is 50 times faster than the conventional system. This is made possible by moving the control process into the powertrain itself, rather than a remote unit. This reduces the signal path and, thus, the response time of the traction control system. BMW's Head of Chassis Development, Peter Langen, said of it, "With their high levels of torque and instantaneous responses to every movement of the accelerator, electric motors already make significantly higher demands on driving stability systems than conventional power units." While engineered to make the most of the electric motor, BMW says the shorter cycles of this traction control system show promise for internal combustion vehicles as well. As such, we'll begin to see the improved technology applied across the BMW and Mini lineups going forward. Related Video: