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BMW brings laser headlights and HUD helmet to motorcycles

BMW is complementing its array of cutting-edge tech at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show with the ConnectedRide concept that adapts automotive innovations to the motorcycle world. To highlight the two-wheeled future, the company modified a K1600 GTL with a laser headlight and controls for a helmet-integrated head-up display. The result could make riding safer if these developments ever come to market. Some of BMW's latest models like the i8 and 7 Series can already cut through the darkness with laser headlights, and this K1600 GTL brings that technology to motorcycles. The bright light can shine down the road up to 1,969 feet, which the company claims is about twice as far as a conventional unit. The additional visual range gives riders extra time to evaluate what's ahead at night and could make for a safer journey. The concept laser headlight on the bike is only a feasibility test for now, but preliminary development is underway. However, the lights might need modification to see production in the US because BMW had to turn down the power on the units in the i8 to get FDA approval, according to BMW Blog. BMW also wants to make riders safer through a helmet-integrated HUD that ensures they never need to take their eyes off the road. While other companies already offer similar products, this solution maximizes the available information. Through controls at a person's left hand on the handlebars, a user can select displays of current speed, selected gear, tire pressure, oil and fuel level, and even speed limits, and the system displays the desired info right in front of the wearer's eye. A front-mounted camera can record the trip, and a rear-mounted one can simulate a rearview mirror. Real-world production of the HUD is still a few years away, but BMW says future versions could incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle communications to let the system receive hazard warnings, too. BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide. Concepts for motorcycle laser light and helmet with head-up display. BMW Motorrad will be displaying two innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on 6-9 January 2016. Laser light for motorcycles and a helmet with a head-up display will be presented, setting new standards of motorcycle safety, along with a technical outlook of how they may be employed in series models of the future. BMW K 1600 GTL concept vehicle with BMW Motorrad laser light.

BMW already considering four cylinders for next M3

The cylinder count in BMW's M3 has fluctuated over the years. The original M3 debuted in 1985 packing a 2.3-liter inline-four, but subsequent models went with sixes until the outgoing generation upped the cylinder count to eight. With its latest model, BMW has dropped back to six cylinders with a pair of turbos taking the place of the extra pistons. But the next M3 sedan and M4 coupe could go back to the model line's roots with a four-cylinder engine.
Speaking with BMW M product manager Carsten Pries at the launch of the latest M3 and M4 in Portugal, our Aussie compatriots at Motoring.com.au report that "you could see a future [M3] powered by a four-cylinder engine." Offsetting the reduction in cylinders, the lighter engine would benefit the vehicle's weight and balance, thus enhancing performance.
We wouldn't expect the next M3 and M4 to lose any power in the process, though: Output in the M3 has only risen over the generations, from 192 horsepower in the four-pot original to 282 hp in the six-cylinder E36, 338 hp in the six-cylinder E46, 414 hp in the V8 E90 and 425 ponies in the new turbocharged six-cylinder F80 model. With that latter model having just debuted, it'll likely be a good six or seven years before the next version comes along, giving BMW plenty of time to settle on an engine - however many cylinders and turbochargers it has. In the meantime, you'll have to forgive us for taking a romp down M3 memory lane in the fresh gallery of images above.

Toyota-BMW sports car to gain all-wheel drive, supercapacitors?

Sales of salt are skyrocketing following the latest rumor of the planned joint-venture sports car from Toyota and BMW. The whisperings indicate that project will spawn both a replacement for the BMW Z4 and a long-awaited Toyota Supra successor based on the FT-1 Concept shown above. Word is that the new cars will feature front-engine, all-wheel-drive layouts with plug-in hybrid technology. This news would appear to run somewhat counter to earlier reports that BMW and Toyota are teaming for a six-figure hybrid supercar.
According to Autocar, the project will benefit from the experience Toyota gained with the TS030, its hybridized Le Mans prototype. The evidence for this is, of all things, a Toyota Yaris - in particular, the Yaris Hybrid R that was shown at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show last September. That car used a 300-horsepower, 1.6-liter gas engine, while a pair of 60-horsepower electric motors provided all-wheel-drive push (an additional motor also sent additional juice to the front axle). The 414-system-horsepower drivetrain used supercapacitors in place of the traditional lithium-ion batteries of traditional hybrids.
For the production sports cars, Autocar claims that the Yaris Hybrid R's setup will serve as the basis for the new powertrain, although it won't be a direct carryover. Instead, a 2.0-liter BMW engine will be paired with Toyota-designed, BMW-built motors.