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BMW confirms X4 for next year, i3 preorders starting to add up

BMW has confirmed the long-anticipated X4 will bow next year. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the automaker's board of management, made mention of the upcoming CUV during remarks at the company's annual accounts press conference. Reithofer said that BMW has sold more than 2.7 million X models since it began producing the machines, and that the company plans to expand those offerings with the new X4 next year. He declined to offer up any more details, though from what we've heard so far, the model will be more of a crossover than either the X3 or the X5.
Reithofer also made it clear that BMW is getting serious about electric vehicles, saying the i3 (pictured above, in prototype form) is "definitely coming to market" and that the runabout will be ready by late 2013. BMW reports it has had "Several hundred advance orders" for the EV. As you may recall, the i3 uses a special carbon fiber reinforced plastic passenger cell to save weight and boasts a standard range of 93 miles. You can read the full transcripts from the press conference below for more information.

BMW i8 headed to Frankfurt

According to Edmunds, BMW will reveal its production i8 hybrid sports car at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The i8 is the second vehicle to come from the automaker's new "i" initiative, following the debut of the smaller i3 hatchback last month.
The BMW i8 makes its debut nearly four years after the original Vision EfficientDynamics concept bowed at the Frankfurt expo in 2009. The production car is expected to use a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels, coupled to an electric motor that drives the front wheels. Combined output is said to be something like 393 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, based on our earlier reports. The i8 is also expected to be very light, with curb weight coming in somewhere around 3,125 pounds. Finally, the i8 is said to have a pure electric range of 20 miles, and should be able to hit 62 miles per hour in just under five seconds.
Other publications had the chance to ride along in the i8 (in prototype form) and came away impressed. We're hoping we'll feel the same when the car officially goes on sale sometime in early 2014. Stay tuned for more at the i8's official unveiling in just a few weeks.

BMW planning to bring an autonomous vehicle to market by 2021

At a press conference in Munich today, BMW announced that it plans to have a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads by 2021. Tech companies Intel and Mobileye will be partners in the project, and the group will be working on an open platform for use by other manufacturers and developers. BMW has been developing autonomous technology for ten years. Despite the recent death of a Tesla driver while using the company's Autopilot system, BMW believes its technology will be fully ready for the roads in the next five years. The group is using a combination of real-world and digital simulations to test their products, with BMW, Intel, and Mobileye each sharing a bit of the project. Tesla uses a version of Mobileye's current driver-assistance technology. BMW eventually hopes to have vehicles that don't require anyone to be in the vehicle while it drives, allowing for drop-off, pick-up, and self-parking capabilities. The group's open platform is something it hopes other manufacturers can use. The goal is to foster an archetype that regulatory bodies can use to make industry-wide laws and standards. The auto industry seems poised for a shift toward EVs and autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen recently announced a plan to bring 30 electric cars to market in the next 10 years. Local Motors has developed autonomous, electric public transport. It's not clear what sort of vehicle BMW will bring, but it did have a modified i8 on display at the conference. Related Video: News Source: BMW Green BMW Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles intel mobileye