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BMW CEO faints on stage at Frankfurt press conference

Newly minted BMW AG CEO Harald Kruger has had a rough start to his first Frankfurt Motor Show in that position. Kruger fainted about five minutes into the BMW press conference. A pair of assistants helped the executive to his feet and off-stage, and, understandably, the presser was cancelled. A report in Financial Times indicates that Kruger was not feeling well leading up to his appearance at the show, and that the fainting spell was a result of "a moment of dizziness." Kruger was taken to an area hospital where he is said to be recovering from the incident, and in stable condition. The life of the top dog at a major automaker has got to be stress-filled, sleep-deprived, and hard to handle under normal circumstances, let alone before a major exhibition like Frankfurt. We wish Kruger a speedy recovery getting back to it. And we're certain that he'll face a busy schedule, once again, when he's back on his feet. The CEO replaced Norbert Reithhofer in May of this year, and now oversees a BMW with as big a model lineup as the brand has known, including the recently launched new 7 Series. Here in Frankfurt, BMW is also featuring the new-for-2016 X1 small crossover, while the Mini brand has unwrapped the revised Clubman. News Source: Financial TimesImage Credit: AP Frankfurt Motor Show BMW Frankfurt 2015

BMW rolls out new M4 safety car for DTM

Ever since revealing the M4 on nearly five months ago, BMW has been hard at work getting its new muscle coupe out on the track. It's made a touring-car version to compete in DTM and a safety car to set the pace at MotoGP races, and now it's combined both into a new safety car for DTM as well.
The ninth M4 on the DTM grid is based on the production version, but fitted with numerous upgrades over the course of a two-month conversion process. For starters, it's been equipped with nearly exterior component from the M Performance Parts catalog, including the quad-tipped exhaust, front splitter, rear spoiler and diffuser, blacked-out grille, special mirror caps, side sills... the works. But that's not the end of the story.
BMW M GmbH also gutted the interior, removing the rear bench and replacing it with a roll cage. It's got a pair of Recaro racing buckets with Schroth harnesses, plus special LED emergency lighting, radio communication system and, of course, special livery (albeit nowhere near as cool as the MotoGP one) to distinguish it as the official safety car when it makes its debut at the Nürburgring on August 17.

BMW M2 to pack 365 hp

The BMW M2 was spied testing several times last summer, but there has been little news about the upcoming entry to the M family as of late. More info is finally leaking out though, and it potentially confirms some past reports, while giving a better idea of what the coupe looks like. We have to take any of these leaks with a grain of salt, but according to a user on the 2addicts forum citing insider sources at BMW headquarters, M2 production begins in November. This person also reiterates that the coupe uses BMW's N55 turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. In this tune, it would reportedly make 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. Plus, an over-boost system would allegedly push twist by about 25 lb-ft at low revs. At launch, this rumor also suggests that BMW might keep the M2's color palette limited to just four choices: Alpine White, Black Sapphire Metallic, Long Beach Blue Metallic and Mineral Grey Metallic. Inside, there're purportedly even fewer hues with the only one being black with blue stitching. Assuming these numbers are accurate, the M2 seems to represent a decent upgrade over the already capable M235i. It also uses a version of the N55 but a version making 320 hp and 330 lb-ft. In addition to the extra grunt, previous spy shots show the M with a front fascia akin to the M3/M4.