2011 Bmw 5-series 550i X-drive M Sport Package on 2040-cars

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BMW to finally put i8 Spyder into production

The BMW i8 Spyder might finally see production. The vehicle debuted in concept form over three years ago, but despite the coupe version having long since arrived in showrooms, the convertible has been nowhere to be seen. According to the latest reports from Germany, however, that's about to change. According to Automotive News, the company's new chief executive Harald Krueger told German publication Handelsblatt that we'll soon see the BMW i8 Spyder in production form. The prospect of open-air motoring under prodigious amounts of electric power sounds enticing, however we'll have to wait and see just what sort of roof mechanism the production model incorporates. The concept had removable roof panels, however the manufacturer tends to favor automatic roof setups – hardtops in the Z4 and 4 Series, or soft tops in the 2 Series and 6 Series. Around the same time, BMW could introduce a power upgrade in the form of a larger internal combustion engine and a higher-capacity battery to go with it. A 2.0-liter turbo four is tipped to slot in where the current three-pot sits, bringing output up to a solid 450 hp – and with a longer range to boot. If those upgrades to arrive – with or independent of the open-roof version – expect them to be implemented on the coupe as well as the roadster.

Two rare Alpina BMWs given the Petrolicious treatment

Alpina is getting more and more ink because of because of that rolling cannonade known as the B7 and its closer ties with BMW. The company's tuning business dates to 1962 when Burkard Bovensiepen began fiddling with Weber carburetors, then his company began racing in 1968 and was eventually certified as an automaker in 1983.
Two of its rarer specimens from those early years have gotten a glance from the folks at Petrolicious: the E24 B10 and E24 B7S. Based on the BMW 6 Series, the Alpina versions made one of the most special coupes from the Eighties even more so. According to the video, there were only 44 B10s made, and the turbocharged, 333-horsepower B7S - this was in a luxury coupe in 1982, mind you - saw only 33 examples produced.
You won't be sorry to find out more about them - and see how they run - in the Petrolicious video below.

Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.