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A Tasty Bit Of Old School For The New School
Against the backdrop of fervent hand-wringing from brand purists, BMW is on the cusp of finally offering front-wheel-drive vehicles. While that's a shock to the constitution, many are pointing to the company's fine-handling Mini offerings as an article of faith that it can get this drivetrain paradigm shift right. That may be true, but there's an even more important lesson that Mini has taught the decision-makers in Munich: how to make real money on small cars.
Before Mini came along, BMW - along with seemingly every other premium European automaker - never really figured out how to coax big dollars out of American wallets without developing cars that had large footprints, at least those other than sports cars. While the automaker really got rolling in America on the strength of little bantamweights like the 2002, it veered away from small cars sometime in the '80s. BMW subsequently crashed and burned with the cut-and-shut 318ti built off its E36 3 Series and, good as it is, the 1 Series hasn't given the company meaty volume or profits, either. Among other brands, the Audi A3 has never rung up big numbers, and the less said about the painful sales figures of the Volvo C30, the better. But Mini has beat the odds, blazing a more affordable and evidently compelling trail. As of late, the company's Countryman softroader has been a massive hit worldwide. No surprise then that BMW has reconsidered bringing over its smallest softroader, the X1, to the US.

Not just 'our logo on a sail': Automakers gain technology from America's Cup

HAMILTON, Bermuda - From water taxis that "fly" on hydrofoils to aircraft wings and cutting-edge car steering wheels, the America's Cup has produced technology with potential far beyond its "foiling" catamarans. With their focus on carbon fiber and aerodynamics, the teams that fought for the America's Cup attracted partners including planemaker Airbus and automotive groups BMW and Land Rover, who were keen to learn from them. One area where this is likely to have an impact is in harnessing "foiling" technology, where the America's Cup boats "fly" above the water on foils, cutting water resistance. "Foiling in small electric boats will most likely appear on rivers in major cities. We are just at the beginning of the foiling adventure," Pierre Marie Belleau, head of Airbus Business Development, who managed its partnership with Larry Ellison's Oracle Team USA, told Reuters. The space-age catamarans used in the 35th America's Cup, which ended in victory for Emirates Team New Zealand this week, can sail at maximum speeds of 50 knots (57 mph) and have more in common with flying than sailing."CARBON FIBER RELATIONSHIP" For Jaguar Land Rover, which sponsored British sailor Ben Ainslie's attempt to win the cup, the relationship is a strategic one with a focus on technology and innovation. "We don't just get our logo onto a sail," Mark Cameron, JLR's Experiential Marketing Director, said by telephone, adding that the carmaker would be providing more designers to help Land Rover BAR with technology for their next campaign. "This is a dynamic sport that is developing fast. ... It's moving quickly just like the car industry is moving quickly. It's all changing," Land Rover produced a special steering wheel for Ainslie to use in the America's Cup, with in-built gear shift paddles that allowed him to adjust the catamaran's "flight" levels. The relationship is similar between BMW and Oracle Team USA, with the German automaker focused on areas including the electronics in the wheel used by skipper Jimmy Spithill, the development of carbon fiber used to make the boat and its components, and the aerodynamic testing. "We like to think of ourselves more as a partner than a sponsor. We have a very strong carbon fiber relationship," Ian Robertson, who is the BMW management board member responsible for sales and brand, told Reuters between races. "This is a dynamic sport that is developing fast. ... It's moving quickly just like the car industry is moving quickly.

BMW debuts 435i ZHP edition coupe [UPDATE]

Performance enthusiasts enamored of the BMW 4 Series but not quite ready to step up to the M4 will be excited at the arrival of the new ZHP edition. Reviving a code last seen on a package for the E46 series a decade ago, the 2016 BMW 435i ZHP Edition boasts a series of performance upgrades aimed not only at "improved optics and aerodynamics; it is also notably quicker with more precise handling." The special 4 Series packs a series of BMW M Performance accessories to give it a more aggressive attitude, including a new Track Handling Package, M Sport Package, limited slip differential and a range of M Performance parts. The Track Handling Package alone includes 18-inch alloys, M Sport Brakes with four-piston calipers up front and two pistons in the back and incorporates the Active M Suspension with variable dampers and steering. With revised software and a new air intake, the M Performance Engine Kit kicks in an extra 35 horsepower for a total of 335 hp and either 32 more pound-feet (with the automatic transmission) for a total of 332 lb-ft or a 17-lb-ft boost (with the manual) for a total of 317 lb-ft. That's enough to drop 0.2 seconds off the 435i's 0-60 time and 0.5 seconds off the run from 50 miles per hour to 75. BMW also promises better accelerator response and engine note. There's a sport exhaust that sheds 8.8 pounds of weight, a full carbon-fiber aero kit and visual enhancements inside, out and under the hood. The German automaker will only be offering 100 examples of the enhanced coupe starting in July, with pricing to be announced closer to the launch date. UPDATE: Of course, if you miss out on one of these special editions, you can always spec out your own from the M catalog with parts installed at BMW's Vehicle Distribution Center. And, as BMW points out in correspondence with Autoblog, you could even order one up with all-wheel drive and in convertible or four-door Gran Coupe body-styles if that's more your pace. Related Video: BMW UNVEILS THE SPECIAL EDITION BMW 435i ZHP COUPE Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 19, 2015... Paying tribute to the iconic ZHP Performance Package, BMW today released details for a 2016 BMW 435i ZHP Coupe Edition.