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2015 BMW X4 gets its small-screen debut

It's easy to dismiss the 2015 BMW X4. On one hand, the high-style crossover seems more like a boardroom decision than a practical one. In a world with the 3 Series, 4 Series, X3, 3 Series GT and 4 Series Gran Coupe, is BMW really being inundated with requests for a baby X6? Of course, when we finally got behind the wheel of the CUV for our First Drive, it proved rather entertaining, and certainly the X6's global sales success suggests that it's worth the relatively low-cost risk for the Bavarian automaker.
Now, it's the general public's chance to weigh in on the latest crossover Bimmer and vote with their dollars. The X4 is just hitting showrooms in the US, and BMW is beginning its marketing campaign for it with the slogan "Embrace the Unknown." The first TV ad shows off the CUV driving through the world's major cities as they undulate like the rolling ocean. A woman flatly says phrases starting with "Go," while a synth-heavy score plays underneath that wouldn't be out of place over the end credits in an '80s sci-fi movie.
Visually, it's actually kind of a cool ad and evokes some of the special effects from Inception. Focusing on an urban atmosphere is probably a good idea, too, because the percentage of X4s going offroad is likely to be in the low single digits, if that. Now, let's see if BMW buyers are willing to embrace the unknown of the X4. Scroll down to watch it for yourself.

BMW 4 Series Convertible basks in the sun

The BMW 4 Series Convertible will show its non-camouflaged face sometime later this year, but our spies recently caught this nearly naked prototype out getting some sun. As you'll recall, the droptop 4 Series replaces the 3 Series Convertible in the BMW range, and if our recent stint behind the wheel of the new 435i Coupe is anything to go on, this topless 4er should be quite a fun runabout for sun-drenched motoring.
To no one's surprise, the 4 Series Convertible shares all of its design with the 4 Series coupe, save, of course, the obvious roofectomy. Beyond that, the topless 2+2 will use the same engines and transmissions as the coupe, meaning it should arrive in the US in both 428i and 435i guises, powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four and 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, respectively. Both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions will be available.
The car spied this time around has the full M Sport visual treatment, with the revised (and better-looking) front fascia, larger 19-inch wheels, and attractive Melbourne Red paint. Interestingly, it appears this prototype has the standard xenon headlamp setup, rather than the full-LED option that's also available.

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe and Concept 90 pics from Villa d'Este

Royalty and the ultra-wealthy rubbed damp shoulders at this past weekend's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este on the shores of Italy's Lake Como, but even the rain couldn't extinguish the excitement generated by the millions of dollars of cars and bikes on display. Nowhere was this more true than with BMW, which marked the occasion with the reveal of two stunning concepts with six wheels between them - the shark-nosed Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe and the retrosexual Concept 90 motorcycle.
Conceived with Italian design house Pininfarina, the Gran Lusso Coupe is a power broker on 21-inch wheels. While we're not completely sold on every element of its design, this twelve-cylinder two-door concept moves us more than the current 6 Series, and not just because it has four more cylinders underhood and 48,000-year-old kauri wood paneling inside. BMW is sadly mum on production hopes, but we're not entirely optimistic - the company has graced us with a number of attractive concepts at Villa d'Este before, only to pack them away again without ever affording them a production future.
If one of these concepts has a better shot at finding its way into dealers, we have to believe it's the Concept 90 under the BMW Motorrad umbrella. Designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of BMW's R 90 S, we think this Roland Sands Design air-cooled boxer would look fantastic on today's streets, especially with the rising popularity of vintage motorcycles and cafe racers.