2.3 Roadster 5 Speed Manual Power Soft Top Clean Title on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW to launch loaner program to avoid range anxiety on i models

BMW is looking to stave off electric vehicle range anxiety with a new program that offers buyers a free gasoline loaner with every i3 purchase. Ward's Auto reports BMW is confident that the EV will give buyers the kind of transportation they need for 90 percent of their trips. The loaners, meanwhile, will be available for those few occasions when drivers need to cover more ground than the machine's batteries will allow. The i3 gets around with help from a 180-horsepower electric motor paired with a lithium-ion battery pack.
The combo is good for trips of between 80 and 100 miles depending on driving habits and weather conditions, though BMW also plans to offer a model with a small two-cylinder range-extending gasoline engine as well. That option will likely set you back an additional $4,000. When the machine bows in 2014, it will likely come with a charge time of four to six hours when suckling from a 220-volt outlet.
As far as the conventionally powered loaner car goes, the cost of the program is included in the i3's purchase price, though BMW has yet to figure out how many free loans will be offered, or what happens after that threshold is reached.

BMW gearing up for Sochi Olympics with bobsled documentary [w/video]

BMW might be a German brand, but that isn't keeping its US branch from helping out Team USA as the 22nd Winter Olympics gets set to kick off in Sochi, Russia next month. We last reported on BMW's partnership with Team USA's bobsled team in November of 2012, but with barely a month until the opening ceremony, it's about time we hear something new about the team's progress. And that's exactly what's going to happen when Driving on Ice airs this Sunday afternoon. The documentary charts the progress of the Team USA/BMW partnership to redesign the team's two-man bobsled for an event in which the USA hasn't captured gold in since 1936. And if you're concerned that this will be nothing more than a long advertisement for BMW, then you'll enjoy knowing that the program has more to do with the Team USA bobsledders than with the automaker. Even the trailer stars a number of team members and coaches, along with BMW DesignWorks USA's Michael Scully, lead designer on the program. There's a short preview embedded below, so if you just can't wait for next month's Olympics to kick off, you'll want to tune into NBC at 12:30 pm (Eastern time). Scroll down to watch the video preview and check out the full press release from BMW. BMW Slides into 2014 Winter Olympic Year with Announcement of U.S. Olympic Marketing Campaign, Bobsled Documentary. "Driving on Ice," a Film About BMW's Redesign of the Team USA Two-man Bobsled, to Air This Sunday on NBC. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 3, 2013... BMW of North America, the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), today announced its U.S. Olympic marketing campaign for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games which includes a series of Olympic-themed advertisments, consumer and retail activations, social and digital media executions, and a national drive campaign to benefit Team USA. In addition, a documentary on BMW's complete redesign of the U.S. two-man bobsled entitled "Driving on Ice" will air this Sunday, Jan. 5 at 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST on NBC. "Driving on Ice" chronicles BMW's collaboration with the USA Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (USBSF) to deliver a fleet of six new two-man bobsleds, applying the automaker's world-class design and engineering expertise to help Team USA chase its first Olympic gold medal in the event since 1936.

BMW reveals R NineT Scrambler at EICMA [w/video]

BMW Motorrad has rolled into the EICMA motorcycle show in Italy with a new version of the R NineT. While the existing version has proven a fast favorite among customizers with its cafe-racer style, the new version takes the classic Scrambler approach that recalls off-road dirt bikes from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. And it looks at least as hot as the existing Roadster. The new R NineT Scrambler is powered by the same 1.17-liter boxer twin as the Roadster, good for 110 horsepower and 85 pound-feet of torque. What separates it from the Roadster is the rest of its feature set. The exhaust is positioned higher alongside the swingarm and 17-inch rear wheel, while the front features an over-sized 19-inch wheel with a longer-travel telescopic fork. The seating position is more upright than the Roadster as well, with higher handlebars and foot-pegs moved slightly down and back - all for a more relaxed ride. Up front there's a circular headlamp, with analog instruments. Four-piston calipers grip 320-millimeter discs up front, with 2-piston calipers on 265-mm discs at the back. The Scrambler comes in a matte silver finish with a brown saddle, but like the Roadster, it's designed to be customized. So the accessories catalog is filled with parts to make it your own, and the modular frame is meant to be disassembled and reconfigured to the rider's specifications. BMW R NineT Scrambler debuts this week at the Milan fair grounds alongside the new single-cylinder G 310 R and the eRR electric sport bike concept. The new BMW R nineT Scrambler – a down-to-earth character beyond established conventions. They were ridden by action heroes on the screen and scores of hobby racers entered mountain and beach races on them: the Scramblers. With deep-treaded tyres, a raised exhaust, somewhat extended spring travel and a relaxed seating position, Scramblers offered their riders in the 1950s to 1970s not just motorcycling fun on winding country roads but also great off-road capability and therefore an extended range of use. Like the motorcycles themselves, the people who rode Scramblers were not bound by established conventions. And they could be seen virtually everywhere: on winding country roads, stony mountain passes and - where it was allowed - even on sandy beaches. The history of BMW Motorrad is also rooted in the Scrambler concept.