2009 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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2016 Tech of the Year | Autoblog Minute

Deliberation on the winners of Autoblog's Tech of the Year Award is under way. Nominees for best car in 2016 are: the Tesla Model S, the Chevy Volt and the BMW 7 series. Nominees for best tech in 2016 are: Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, VW's MiB II with AppConnect, Ford Sync 3, Audi Virtual Cockpit, the Smart Cross Connect App, and Volvo Sensus. Autoblog's Chris McGraw reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute. Audi BMW Chevrolet Ford smart Tesla Volvo Technology of the Year Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video volt android auto ford sync 3

Why you can expect lots more crossovers from BMW

BMW is becoming the ultimate crossover sales machine. More than a third of the German brand's US sales in 2015 were crossovers, and the automaker expects 40 percent of 2016 sales to be the all-purpose runabouts. What's more, BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch said that when the X7 gets here the percentage will take another leap. Even though BMW was one of the automakers to raise warning flags about how China's depressed car market would impact earnings, the Willisch said the Munich brand couldn't get enough of the X1, X3, and X5 in the first three quarters of 2015 in any of its key markets. Remedy is on the way with an expansion of the Spartanburg, SC plant. When it's finished later this year the US factory will be able to build 29 percent more product than before, annual capacity rising from 350,000 to 450,000. Spartanburg currently builds the X3, X4, and X5. There's every reason to believe that BMW will post another record US sales year in 2015, adding a lot of fat to its profit statement in what should be a record year overall. TrueCar predicts 17.5 million light vehicle sales in the US last year, a 6.1-percent increase over 2014. BMW could also take the luxury crown after posting a monster month of December sales, we'll know when the numbers are reported this week. The huge numbers have come with the help of incentives. BMW spent slightly more than competitors Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, but only fractionally up on 2014 incentive spending.

BMW X6 M said to lap the 'Ring in 8:20

Bimmer Today reports that the German rag Auto Zeitung ran an Audi RS3 and a BMW X6 M around the Nurburgring together, and the hotted-up sports activity vehicle came in just five seconds behind the white-hot hatch. Driven by 'Ring regular Horst von Saurma, the RS3 ran its lap in 8 minutes, 15 seconds, and the X6 M ran an 8:20. If those times are accurate, that makes the X6 M the second fastest production SUV on the lap-time list according to Wikipedia: ahead of it is the 550-hp Range Rover Sport SVR, which ran a time of 8:14. That time puts BMW's 575-horsepower, 5,200-pound SUV four seconds ahead of the time registered by the last-gen, 555-hp X6 M, and well ahead of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S that Sport Auto clocked an 8:34 with. It would not, however, match the predictions that X6 M project manager Herbert Bayerl made for it in an interview with Sport Auto earlier this year. Bayerl said "The new BMW X6 M moves at the level of M3," speaking of the E92 BMW M3 that Sport Auto ran around the 'Ring in 8:05. It is, though, two seconds faster than the E46 M3, which lapped in 8:22. Bayerl called out the Range Rover Sport SVR directly, saying, "We have been traveling much faster in testing and have undercut the time of Range Rover several times," and "We don't need any special attachments to go faster." Auto Zeitung's report on the lap is only for subscribers so we'll have to wait for more official news. For the apples-to-apples comparison we'll be looking forward to Sport Auto's hot lap, then we'll know if the Range Rover has anything to fear. Related Video: