2009 Bmw M6 Convertible 2-door 5.0l. 500bhp Carbon Black / Dark Blue on 2040-cars

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BMW seeks partners for electric Mini, could make it an all-EV brand

LOS ANGELES — Germany's BMW is talking with other automakers "around the world" to try to find partners to lower the cost of electrifying its future Mini small cars, management board member Peter Schwarzenbauer told Reuters. "We are talking to many OEMs (manufacturers) around the world, not only in China, (about) how to electrify smaller cars," Schwarzenbauer said. "There's no final conclusion on it." Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor said last month it was discussing a possible venture to build Mini vehicles in China. BMW currently does not build Mini vehicles outside Europe. Schwarzenbauer declined to discuss the Great Wall situation, saying "this was speculation." However, he said building smaller electric cars was challenging, not only because of the financial costs, but also the engineering problem of fitting batteries with sufficient range into a smaller vehicle package. BMW has worked with rivals before to share the costs of clean vehicle technology. The automaker has a partnership with Toyota to develop fuel cell vehicles. BMW has said it plans to launch a new, electric Mini model in 2019. Eventually, Mini could become an entirely electric brand aimed at urban consumers, Schwarzenbauer said. Mini sales in the United States have fallen 10 percent through the first 10 months of this year, as demand for many smaller cars has waned in favor of sport-utility vehicles and trucks. "It's really only in the U.S. where we are facing this with Mini," Schwarzenbauer said. BMW will not try to reverse that trend by adding larger SUVs to the Mini lineup, Schwarzenbauer said. Instead, he said, "the way for Mini in the U.S. is ... building the Mini brand in the direction of the electric urban mobility company." On a separate issue, Schwarzenbauer said BMW intended to offer a self-driving car planned to debut in 2021 at a price that could be below $100,000. The iNEXT model, which BMW previewed earlier this year, will be offered to individuals, ride services fleets and put into service in BMW fleets, Schwarzenbauer said. "By 2021, you will have a lot of people who want to own this car," he said. "It will be a normal price. We are thinking of scaling this. To bring a $150,000 electric car is nice, but it will not really scale." When it launches, the iNEXT may not be offered with complete, so-called Level 5, autonomy because the regulatory and legal frameworks for such a vehicle likely won't be in place, Schwarzenbauer said.

Experience the 2016 Quail Motorsports Gathering in glorious technicolor beauty

If you want to properly experience all of the best that Monterey Car Week has to offer, you're going to want to head to the Quail Lodge and Golf Club on the Friday before The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Showcasing everything from classic roadsters to modern hypercars and everything in between, The Quail has something to offer pretty much everyone. But The Quail is an extremely exclusive event, and it's not always easy to get tickets. Our high-res gallery of 54 images may be the next best thing. This year, the BMWs of all vintages were front and center in celebration of the German brand's 100-year anniversary. But that's not all. You'll see an impressive collection of Lamborghini Miura coupes in our gallery, all brought to The Quail to celebrate that car's 50th anniversary. Pre-war race cars, post-war sportscars, motorcycles old and new... there was a lot to take in at The Quail in 2016. We did our best to capture the event in images, and we hope you enjoy scrolling through. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Quail Motorsports Gathering View 54 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Design/Style Motorsports Misc. Auto Shows BMW Lamborghini Automotive History Convertible Coupe Wagon Concept Cars Luxury Racing Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Classics Sedan Pebble Beach

BMW says yes to 1 Series M successor, no to M6 Gran Coupe with xDrive

If you're anything like us, the first half of that headline made you smile. The BMW 1 Series M Coupe was, without a doubt, one of our favorite cars from the past few years, and according to a BMW Blog interview, Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, head of the company's M division, has confirmed that a successor is in the works.
"We haven't made a decision yet, but the 1M coupe was so successful, that in my opinion, I am absolutely sure we will build a successor," Nitschke told BMW Blog. Currently, BMW only offers the M135i version of the new 1 Series hatch in Europe, which Nitschke says is "not a pure M car."
Moving elsewhere in the M range, BMW Blog asked about the M6 Gran Coupe that recently debuted at this year's Detroit Auto Show. The obvious competitors for this car will be higher-power versions of the Porsche Panamera and Audi RS7, but while both of those offer all-wheel drive, the M6 only sends power to its rear wheels.