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This family has a trio of beautiful BMW E28 5 Series

The Caccavo family is not like yours. They're actually far, far cooler. Rather than dad driving a pickup, mom piloting a crossover and son getting about in a clapped-out compact, each member of the family has their very own second-generation BMW 5 Series. Father Dean's M5, mom DonnaRae's 528e and son Austin's 535is were, remarkably, all purchased for under $10,000, after the family made a maximum-price rule for its cars. The E28 obsession all started innocently enough, with Dean's M5. Shortly after that, DonnaRae snapped up the 535is. When it came time to buy a car, his parents told him he'd need to get a job and make the purchase on his own. He agreed, under one condition – that he was able to buy his mom's 535is. Once the deal was said and done, DonnaRae found she'd acquired the E28 bug, and promptly bought herself the 528e. Petrolicious has the entire story on the Caccavos and their E28s, available in its latest installment. Check it out.

BMW Z5 roadster gets frosty in winter testing

The successor to the BMW Z4 (remember that thing?) is currently undergoing testing in what may be the least hospitable place for a two-seat roadster – northern Sweden. Yep, even sunshine-loving convertibles need to undergo winter testing. We still aren't 100-percent certain of the name, but rumors are pointing to BMW ditching the Z4 nomenclature in favor of Z5. As we've reported before, it's very likely that this car is being developed with help from Toyota. The platform underpinning the car shown here could become the long-awaited new Supra (albeit in hardtop-only form). We'd love to tell you about the look of this new car, but between the camouflage and the caked-on snow, it's hard to draw a bead. We can clearly see the headlights are inspired by newer BMWs like the 7 Series and 2 Series, but other details are harder to discern. The right elements are here, though. The prototype has a long hood and short rear deck. It's also worth pointing out that the car shown here marks a return to a canvas convertible roof. Aside from being less complex, our spies report that the soft top is being used to lower weight and provide sharper handling. While our report on the Z4's successor from March 2015 pointed to a 2020 launch date for the new roadster, our spies say the German part of this BMW/Toyota partnership could launch in late 2017 or early 2018 with four- and six-cylinder engine options. Related Video: Featured Gallery BMW Z5: Spy Shots Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos BMW Toyota Convertible Performance bmw z5

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.