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2014 BMW 4 Series convertible spotted

We've seen a few spy shot packages featuring the upcoming BMW 4 Series Convertible already, but never with the car quite so naked as in this latest batch. Nabbed just outside the BMW Nürburgring workshop in Germany, this Melbourne Red 4 Series also shows the M Sport package for the first time.
With all of the cladding removed, we can see that the convertible shares the 4 Series coupe's great-looking nose and front end, though the resolution of that folding hard top into the rear bodywork remains a bit harsh.
With the 4 Series coupe now completely official, we have a pretty good idea of what the powertrain lineup for the 'vert will be. We'll be pretty surprised if a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo aren't the go-to engines at launch. Production of the droptop is likely to begin at the end of the year, so start bugging your local BMW dealer.

Is this the new BMW 7 Series?

Autocar has stumbled upon what appears to be the first uncovered photo of the next-generation BMW 7 Series. It looks like the real deal, and we'll know for sure on June 10, when the 2016 model is officially revealed. This image allegedly appeared on a BMW configurator, and has since been taken down. According to Autocar, the new 7 Series will come in 730d, 740i, and 750i trims (in Europe, anyway), with or without xDrive all-wheel drive. BMW already released a few details about its new 7 Series. We know that the new car will be nearly 290 pounds lighter than its predecessor, and will feature gesture control technology and an LCD display key. We're sure BMW has a whole lot more in store for its new flagship, so check back later this week for the full helping of details.

2016 BMW X1 First Drive [w/video]

Perhaps more than any other model, the X1 exemplifies the shift going on at BMW. That the X1 is the first front-drive-based car to wear the BMW badge in the US is both remarkable and doesn't matter at all. Some background: The first X1, sold here for the latter half of its six-year run, was an Old BMW. Based on E90 3 Series underpinnings, it was basically a tall, last-gen 3 wagon, a car on short stilts. We loved it. It drove almost exactly like a good 3 Series at a time when that 3 Series was no longer available. It sold in okay numbers. It's gone now. This new X1, the 2016 model, is a sort of about face, or at least a right-hand turn in the engine compartment. This is New BMW. The base engine is again a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a new design based on the company's modular engine architecture that can spit out threes, fours, and sixes using the same component set. It's mounted transversely, not longitudinally like in the rest of BMW's US offerings. It loses some horsepower to the last X1's 2.0 (228 hp versus 240) and a bit of torque (258 lb-ft down from 260). Again, few will notice. The optional 3.0-liter turbocharged six from the last generation is gone. Not many customers chose it, and the six likely wouldn't fit under the hood of this rearranged X1. EPA fuel-economy numbers match those from the 2015 xDrive28i exactly – 22 mpg city, 32 highway – so no gains there. So packaging won. There's really no other explanation for the longitudinal-transverse swap, except that maybe it's less expensive to build this way. EPA fuel-economy numbers match those from the 2015 xDrive28i exactly – 22 mpg city, 32 highway – so no gains there. But the packaging advantages are abundant. The interior is somewhat narrow, but it's opened up a bit by the lack of a transmission tunnel that would normally eat space between the front occupants. Instead, the center console is set low, with a tall shift lever rising practically from the floor up to meet your hand. There's storage forward of the shifter and a folding center armrest that opens for small items. The original X1 was sold here with rear-wheel as well as all-wheel drive. For obvious reasons, that won't be the case this time around. BMW also won't sell a front-drive model here (although one is offered in Europe and elsewhere) likely because it would involve the admission that this is not your average BMW, but instead a New BMW, one designed for more people and fewer enthusiasts.