2018 Bmw X5 Xdrive35i on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Car and Driver shows off awesome 1960s ads

Someone must have recently rediscovered the keys to the archives at Car and Driver, and the access has been put to good use. Following last month's fantastic look at automotive ads from the '50s, there's now a new gallery running from March 1960 through December 1969. This collection provides a great overview of a decade full of iconic cars. If you're a fan of Carroll Shelby, particularly his Mustangs, then there's a lot to love among this group. One ad from July 1965 aimed to sell the GT350, but with an ocean of text and a tiny picture, it probably could've used a once-over by Don Draper's team. By December '65, the copywriters ironed out the problems with a spot proclaiming boldly "Shelby GT350 is 'Son of Cobra.'" The company offered some great accessories, too. For those into European motoring, there's a humorous attempt to sell the Alfa Romeo Giulia as both a racecar and family hauler. Toyota also boasts about the winning record for the 2000GT. Among the best text comes from BMW for lines like: "What's BMW got? The most advanced high-performance engine in any production car, for a cruising speed of 100 mph." Of course, Volkswagen's famous "Lemon" ad for the Beetle also gets its due here. Separately, each of these ads is fascinating, but taken together they tell the story of a great decade of motoring. Go give them all a read at Car and Driver. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Alfa Romeo BMW Ford Toyota Volkswagen shelby alfa romeo giulia shelby gt350 toyota 2000gt

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is the world's first front-drive Bimmer [w/videos]

While BMW has been showing concepts for its Active Tourer for over a year, they never seemed entirely real. Why would BMW, a company that has built its image on sporty, rear-wheel drive sedans, move into the five-door, front-wheel-drive market? The answer is still not entirely clear, but the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is very real. It launches in Europe later this year and is rumored to come to the US in 2015.
To brand purists, a front-wheel drive BMW may seem anathema to everything the company has built, and the production Active Tourer has clearly been built to provide drivers with a luxurious but utilitarian package first and foremost. It is 170.9 inches long and rides on a 105.1-inch wheelbase, but despite its compact dimensions, its high roof allows for 16.53-cubic-feet of cargo space with the rear seats up or 53.33 cubic feet with them folded flat. Its general appearance is nearly identical to the previous concepts, except with a blunter nose and cleaner lines. The front end wears BMW's traditional dual circular headlights and naturally, while the profile incorporates the company's traditional Hofmeister kink into the greenhouse's rear pillar. The interior has been designed to be especially useful with a sliding rear seat, adjustable rear backrests, fold-flat backrests and optional features like an automatic tailgate and panoramic sunroof.
Unlike both previous concepts, none of the Active Tourer models at launch use hybrid power. For Europe, the hatchback is going on sale with three engine options. The basic version is the 218i Active Tourer with a 1.5-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder with 134 horsepower that we just previewed in the 2014 Mini Cooper - good enough for average fuel economy of 48 miles per gallon in the EU cycle when equipped with a six-speed manual. The next step up is the 225i Active Tourer with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 228 hp and offers 39-mpg average fuel economy. Finally, there is the there is the 218d Active Tourer with its 148-hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel and 57 mpg average fuel economy on the EU cycle. A six-speed manual is standard on all of them, but there is a six-speed automatic option for the 218i and eight-speed automatics available for the 225i and 218d. All-wheel drive will be available on future models.

Next BMW M3 sedan to be plug-in hybrid?

BMW has a lot in mind for the next-generation 3 Series and 4 Series cars, and we're hearing about it now even though they're not expected for another three or four years. The sedan is expected to be lighter, wider, with a longer wheelbase and a lower center of gravity. Rumored tech updates include the water injection system debuted in production on the BMW 1 Series, and the 4 Series convertible might go back to a fabric top. Now The Detroit Bureau reports BMW insiders have revealed that the next M3 will get a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. We've heard about plug-in variants in the mix for the G20 3 Series using a small displacement four-cylinder, but not on the M3 and possibly M4. The goal is familiar, according to the "several senior company officials:" to improve the performance while reducing the emissions footprint. Apparently, the power unit being worked on uses a "similar engine" to the 425-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline six employed at the moment, with power sent to the rear wheels. Electric assistance would come from a KERS-like unit that would also - and only - send power to the rear wheels. Torque is said to go up at least 73 pound-feet from the 406 lb-ft available currently, and all-electric range might be as much as 20 miles. Plenty of carbon fiber will help offset the weight of the lithium-ion batteries. Despite company obfuscations, we know BMW is working on a hybrid powertrain for a vehicle rumored to be called either i5 or i7, and would use one or two electric motors to drive the front wheels while the traditional ICE drives the rear wheels. This potential M3 and M4 powertrain would be an offshoot of that engineering. Automobile speculates there will be electric turbochargers and a horsepower number around 500. Related Video: