2023 Bmw X5 Xdrive40i on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Car companies may need to start curbing model proliferation

Looking at the current automotive landscape, especially from German makers, you quickly get the impression that less definitely isn't more. BMW alone offers its 3 Series platform in practically every segment possible, including the regular sedan and 4 Series Gran Coupe, which would seem to be direct competitors. Porsche might be the winner, though, with 20 different variants of the 911 listed for sale on its US website. However, some of this model madness might be reaching an end as companies begin cutting back spending or shifting money to other priorities.
According to Yahoo Finance, the offerings from the German automakers are up 25 percent over the past three years to over 200 models in Europe. The peak is expected to come around 2018 at 230 separate vehicles, according to consulting company PwC.
Amazingly, BMW, which is among the poster children for this model explosion, might be changing its tune. "I'm sure there will be points in the future where we look at certain cars and say, 'Maybe we need to think differently now,'" said head of sales Ian Robertson in an interview, according to Yahoo Finance. The statement certainly sounds shocking coming from a company rumored to have 23 front-wheel-drive vehicles all using a single platform on the way.

BMW M4 pitted against i8 in drag race

Germany's Auto Bild has set up a very intriguing drag race to settle not just an inter-brand rivalry within BMW but a question of the old school versus the latest tech. The BMW M4 is a leader among the traditional sports coupes with a turbocharged inline-six spinning the rear wheels, but the M has to tackle the cutting-edge i8 with its turbocharged three-cylinder augmented with electric drive. See what happens when they go head to head. Even on paper, the race looks quite close. The i8 weighs about 300 pounds less than the M4 and also slightly nudges it out on net torque at 420 pound-feet versus 406 lb-ft. Also in some shots, the pavement looks just a little bit damp here, which would benefit the i8's all-wheel drive setup. However, the M-car has a healthy horsepower advantage with 425 hp against the hybrid's 357 hp. The race commences after a short introduction. Watch and see whether the traditional tech or latest layout wins the day. Related Gallery 2015 BMW M4 Coupe: First Drive View 38 Photos Related Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Auto Bild TV via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images Copyright 2014 Michael Harley, Drew Phillips / AOL Green BMW Coupe Hybrid Performance Videos drag race race bmw m4

BMW slapped with discrimination suit by EEOC

According to a report from CNNMoney, BMW has been hit with a lawsuit from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after revised criminal background check policies resulted in the dismissal of 88 contractors, 70 of whom (that's about 80 percent) were black. A total of 645 contractors were required to submit to background checks at BMW's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina after BMW switched contract companies at its plant.
Though the 88 persons who were not rehired by the new contractor all had criminal records, that may not necessarily be a legal way to screen applicants, as the EEOC counters: "BMW's policy has no time limit with regard to convictions. The policy is a blanket exclusion without any individualized assessment of the nature and gravity of the crimes, the ages of the convictions, or the nature of the claimants' respective positions."
BMW's actions were in violation of the Civic Rights Act of 1964, according to the EEOC, because they utilized "a criminal conviction policy that disproportionately screened out African-Americans." A recent bulletin offering guidance from the EEOC on the Civil Rights Act can be found here, but the EEOC's stance on the issue has been the same for years: "Since issuing its first written policy guidance in the 1980s regarding the use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions, the EEOC has advised employers that under certain circumstances, their use of that information to deny employment opportunities could be at odds with Title VII."