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BMW i8 official images leak ahead of Frankfurt [w/video]

The new BMW i8 plug-in electric supercar isn't set to make its official debut until September 10, when it will glide onto the Frankfurt Motor Show stage amidst a sea of flash photography. Of course, that isn't so true in today's world, where debuts are always preceded (often carefully) by "leaks."
Take this trio of images of the BMW i8 - there's just enough of the exterior on display in the profile shot to draw attention, without showing important styling points that might be present on the front or back of the car. The same goes for the video attached below. The cabin shot is cool, but isn't particularly earth-shattering when it comes to BMW interiors. As for the skeletal shot, we can see the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine positioned between the rear axles, the battery pack found in what would be the transmission tunnel and the front-mounted electric motors.
We'll have a full set of live images when the BMW i8 makes its debut in Frankfurt next week. Until then, have a look in the gallery and at the video below, and let us know what you think of BMW's next big thing.

BMW moves car-sharing program from San Francisco to Seattle

BMW is shifting more focus towards mobility services, which include car sharing and ride sharing. A new service, called ReachNow, will start out from Seattle and expand to other cities later. At first, the main competitors are ZipCar and Car2go, but ReachNow will also have to battle Uber. In a number of European cities, BMW already operates under the DriveNow program, which is getting revamped to better suit the US marketplace. Up until December, BMW made DriveNow available to San Francisco customers, but was forced to pull out due to parking space issues that are characteristic to SF. Perhaps Seattle makes things easier for BMW, though parking in any major metro area is sure to present some level of difficulty. BMW's idea is to offer pay-per-use pricing for driving a BMW 3-Series, BMW i3 electric vehicle or a Mini, which can be picked up from a street corner either by a 30-minute reservation or on-the-go, depending of the user's needs. Flexibility is key, whether you need a car for just a short while or for a longer weekend trip. The Seattle fleet will consist of 370 vehicles distributed across town. Later on, the service will expand to offer taxi-like ride sharing, to compete with Uber. As the glimmer of car ownership has faded in big cities, BMW wants to make sure it can still put people behind steering wheels or in the back seats. Luxury vehicle ride sharing is also on the cards, seemingly as a way to balance out the decidedly utilitarian choice of cars currently available. Related Video: Green BMW Transportation Alternatives Driving Ownership Technology Emerging Technologies Uber car sharing zipcar car2go apps

Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year

Vaunted men's magazine Playboy knows that its readers are nearly as interested in cars as they are in the female anatomy... sorry, we thought we could write that with a straight face. Anyway, the buff-book does occasionally fill some of its spreads with sexy metal, to accent all the rest of the sexiness.
To wit, the magazine has unveiled its feature on the 2013 Cars of the Year. Without giving us much in the way of criteria for the awards, nor a clear framing of the categories ("Responsible Ride" is a particularly challenging concept, especially when you consider that the Mazdaspeed3 was the winner), Playboy has nevertheless highlighted what we assume to be it's favorite 12 or 13 (depending on how you count) cars from the 2013 model year.
Headlining the class is the Porsche 911, which Playboy writers single out for having "remarkable electronic voodoo." BMW M5 is named "Slickest Sports Sedan" though the Cadillac ATS then follows on because "we couldn't resist giving the new Caddy a shout-out." The rest of the picks are pretty conventional (save, perhaps, the Honda Fit EV as "Ace Electric"), even if the categories and methodology are fairly wonky. Cruise through or gallery for a taste or check out the full list, here. The site is safe for work, and you can legitimately (this time) say that you were reading it for the articles.