2003 Bmw M3 Base Coupe 2-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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BMW i8 and M1 reunited in mid-engined Bavarian retrospective

The BMW i8 may be the cutting edge today – it did, after all, just win our Technology of the Year award – but as rare an event as it is, it's not the first time that BMW has put out an extreme mid-engined supercar. The last time was in the late 1970s with the M1, a Giugiaro-designed, (partially) Lamborghini-developed piece of exotic machinery. The better part of four decades later, Auto Express has brought together an original M1 with its spiritual (if much more advanced) successor for the video comparison that was bound to happen. The question we can't help but ponder, initial sales success aside, is whether the i8 will mature into a classic in the same way the M1 has.

BMW names new CEO, chairman and head of development

Big changes are afoot in the top ranks at BMW, as the Bavarian automaker has announced not just one, but several appointments in the top floors of its towering headquarters in Munich in what the company itself is referring as "a generational change" in its leadership. The biggest change relates to the chairman of BMW's management board – German-speak for the company's chief executive officer. Effective at the end of the company's Annual General Meeting on May 13, 2015, the company will be run by Harald Kruger. The 49-year-old mechanical engineer has been with BMW since 1992 and has sat on its board since 2008, and has until now been responsible for production for the entire BMW Group. The chairmanship of the board of management currently belongs to Dr. Norbert Reithofer, whom the management is endorsing to chair the supervisory board (which Americans might call the board of directors). That role in turn is currently held by Professor Joachim Milberg, who will step down from his position in order to make way for Reithofer to take his place. Milberg is earmarked to remain with the company to oversee its corporate social responsibility and charitable activities. BMW has also announced the appointment of Klaus Frohlich to serve as its head of development with immediate effect. In his new capacity, Frohlich replaces Dr. Herbert Diess, who in turn has left Munich to take over the Volkswagen passenger car division. Below you'll find statements from both BMW and VW on their new appointments. BMW Group takes steps to initiate a generational change at the head of the Board of Management and Supervisory Board 09.12.2014 - Harald Kruger to become Chairman of the Board of Management in May 2015 - Dr. Norbert Reithofer proposed to succeed as Chairman of the Supervisory Board - Prof. Joachim Milberg to take leading role in the BMW Group's worldwide CSR activities and charitable foundations - Klaus Frohlich appointed to Board of Management with responsibility for Development Munich . At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of BMW AG took the first steps to initiate a generational change at the head of the company's Board of Management and Supervisory Board. Harald Kruger will become Chairman of the Board of Management effective the end of the Annual General Meeting on 13 May 2015. The current Chairman of the Board of Management, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, will be put forward for election to the Supervisory Board at the 2015 Annual General Meeting.

BMW i5, i7 rumors surface again

When we first wrote about a rumored BMW i5 in January 2014, after speaking to the Munich-based head of electric vehicle operations and strategy, BMW USA wrote to tell us that the "suggestion of a BMW i model larger than the i3 is hypothetical at this point." After that note came a year of speculation from places like Car and Driver, Automobile and Autocar zeroing in on what this "hypothetical" EV would look like. Car has this year's first scoop, laying out a few more of the ideas behind the expansion of the i line. Said to be aimed straight at the Tesla Model S, it is based on the long-wheelbase, Chinese-market 5 Series but will be badged as either an i5 or an i7. Expected to arrive in time for the 2018 model year to join the next-generation 5 Series, it will be priced to compete with the Model S, but loading up on options can push that beyond $125,000, according to Car. Outside will be a sedan body, possibly with cues from the 6 Series Gran Coupe and the next 7 Series. The internals will be a mix of components like steering, brakes, and suspension from the next ICE 5 Series, with a plug-in hybrid, battery-extending powertrain derived from the i8. Car's info suggests a four-cylinder motor with around 245 horsepower up front, with a 204-hp e-motor also up front and a 90-hp e-motor in the back, as opposed to the i8's single motor. That arrangement provides about 544 total horsepower and will allow the sedan to run in purely electric front- or rear-wheel drive, or as a petrol-electric all-wheel drive. Electric range should be around 80 miles, and the ICE will be limited to operation above 40 miles per hour. There's reason to start putting weight behind these specs because they repeat, almost exactly, those written in the Automobile piece from December. That story said BMW wants to build 30,000 of them per year, and a concept could come in 2017. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: CarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Rumormill BMW Hybrid Sedan bmw i bmw i5