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BMW plans range-topping M760i

The rumors have come from several different places throughout the year and they all point to the same thing: we can expect a BMW M760i in 2016 to sit at the top of the 7 Series range. One of the latest scraps of evidence comes from a forum member at Bimmerpost last month who wrote that an M760i would arrive for model year 2017, and it would be the only regular-wheelbase version with a 12-cylinder engine even if a 760i model joins the lineup. The long-wheelbase 760Li, however, would also get a 12-cylinder motor. This week, BMW Blog published what it says is an accidentally leaked image from the German BMW configurator (pictured) that shows an M760i badge. The actual model doesn't appear, but the configurator places the badge over the 7 Series model you choose to configure. This will be the second 7 series to wear an M badge, and whenever we see it, we're told it will get the M Sport Package and Ferric Grey accents. The first M-badged 7 Series was a limited edition for the Middle East sold two years ago. Both the M760Li and 760Li are tipped to use the 6.6-liter V12 found in the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Wraith - that engine being an evolution of the V12 that powered the last-generation 760Li - but their outputs will vary. The long-wheelbase 7 is expected to get 600 horsepower. The M760i is said to get 624 hp, matching the output of the Wraith, and maybe some handling refinements to make it a proper competitor for counterparts from Mercedes-AMG, Audi, and Jaguar. On top of all that there will still be an Alpina B7, rumored to have 600 horses of its own. Introduction of the range could take place at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Related Video: X The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. News Source: BMW Blog, BimmerpostImage Credit: BMW Blog Rumormill BMW Luxury Performance Sedan m performance bmw 760li bmw m760i bmw 760i

BMW's Quandt family in hot water over Merkel campaign contributions

The mysterious and elusive Quandt family is in hot water again, nearly two years after its Nazi connections during World War II were exposed. The German family's patriarch, Herbert Quandt, nearly single-handedly saved BMW from being bought out by Daimler-Benz in 1959. Now, three living family members own nearly half of the German brand, and stand accused of buying votes with donations to the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mere days ahead of a European Union vote that would cap vehicle emissions.
Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union accepted three donations, one from each shareholding member of the Quandt family.
Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union accepted three donations, one from each shareholding member of the Quandt family, totaling 690,000 euros ($935,000), on October 9. The CDU, for what it's worth, claim the donations weren't related to any political decisions and that the family have been donors for years. A Quandt family spokesperson, meanwhile, said that the family had been waiting for Germany's September 22 elections to pass before making a large contribution to the CDU.

BMW mulled ten, eight, and six-cylinder engines for i8 before going hybrid

There's little doubt that the 2015 BMW i8 is one of the most radical and groundbreaking performance cars this industry has seen in a long time. From its unique carbon-intensive construction to its 1.5-liter, three-cylinder and electric motor plug-in powertrain to its concept-car appearance, the flagbearer for BMW's new i venture challenges the very notion of what it takes to be a supercar.
Yet apparently the i8 almost didn't do that at all. Yes, it probably still would've had innovative assembly techniques, serious performance and come-hither bodywork, but according to a new report in the Telegraaf, it was very nearly a much more conventional beast, drawing its power from a V10 engine. According to the report, that line of development never got much beyond the drawing board, but BMW engineers then shifted their focus to both V8 and six-cylinder motivation, going so far as to build prototype cars. The higher cylinder-count engines were eventually dropped altogether after BMW decided to turn the i8 into a hybrid, with the six-cylinder reportedly nixed due to heat management and weight issues. In the end, of course, BMW went with the PHEV powertrain that offers a total system output of 362 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque - plenty of thrust for this lightweight, all-wheel drive coupe while still enabling an incredible 94 miles to the gallon on the EU cycle. Regardless of how it turned out, it's still fascinating to think that BMW didn't have a much firmer conceptual idea of what it was after when it started the i8's development.
Here at Autoblog, we're genuinely thrilled about this new generation of greener hybrid super- and hypercars, a movement spearheaded by the i8, Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. But even so, our inner-gearheads can't help but wonder what might have been had BMW pursued a more conventional i8, either in place of, or in addition to, the car they did build. What do you think? Have your say in Comments.