2023 Bmw M2 on 2040-cars

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BMW M235i Racing takes to the track

Last month, BMW showed off a motorsports version of its new 2 Series Coupe called the M235i Racing. While that single image was obviously a rendering or design model, BMW Motorsports has now released a video showing the real deal being tested.
From what we can tell from beneath the camouflage, the wide-body fenders ­- to accommodate a 3.5-inch track stretch - are slightly different than the image BMW previously released. Still, the body is noticeably different from the stock coupe. The video, which is posted below, shows glimpses of the race-prepped interior, including a full FIA roll cage, but more importantly we get to hear the 333-horsepower engine and its throaty exhaust in action.

The next-generation wearable will be your car

This year's CES has had a heavy emphasis on the class of device known as the "wearable" – think about the Apple Watch, or Fitbit, if that's helpful. These devices usually piggyback off of a smartphone's hardware or some other data connection and utilize various onboard sensors and feedback devices to interact with the wearer. In the case of the Fitbit, it's health tracking through sensors that monitor your pulse and movement; for the Apple Watch and similar devices, it's all that and some more. Manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality. As evidenced by Volvo's newly announced tie-up with the Microsoft Band 2 fitness tracking wearable, car manufacturers are starting to explore how wearable devices will help drivers. The On Call app brings voice commands, spoken into the Band 2, into the mix. It'll allow you to pass an address from your smartphone's agenda right to your Volvo's nav system, or to preheat your car. Eventually, Volvo would like your car to learn things about your routines, and communicate back to you – or even, improvise to help you wake up earlier to avoid that traffic that might make you late. Do you need to buy a device, like the $249 Band 2, and always wear it to have these sorts of interactions with your car? Despite the emphasis on wearables, CES 2016 has also given us a glimmer of a vehicle future that cuts out the wearable middleman entirely. Take Audi's new Fit Driver project. The goal is to reduce driver stress levels, prevent driver fatigue, and provide a relaxing interior environment by adjusting cabin elements like seat massage, climate control, and even the interior lighting. While it focuses on a wearable device to monitor heart rate and skin temperature, the Audi itself will use on-board sensors to examine driving style and breathing rate as well as external conditions – the weather, traffic, that sort of thing. Could the seats measure skin temperature? Could the seatbelt measure heart rate? Seems like Audi might not need the wearable at all – the car's already doing most of the work. Whether there's a device on a driver's wrist or not, manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality.

BMW 4 Series production coupe caught on commercial shoot

Despite filming at 2:00 AM and at an undisclosed location, BMW minders filming a commercial for the fast-approaching 4 Series coupe were unable to ward off the long lenses of spy photographers. The result, as you can see here, is our first-ever look at the production version of BMW's new coupe, completely uncovered.
The night shots may be a little bit grainy, but the fast-moving 4 Series still looks pretty good with its camo closeted, matching the svelte lines of the concept car we saw in Detroit this winter. Expect that the 4 coupe will come to market with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in 428i trim, and a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder in 435i spec.
Take your time looking through our gallery of movie-star 4 Series photographs, and tell us what you think about the uncovered Bimmer, in comments.