2002 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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BMW working on DCT for its FWD cars?

Having introduced its first front-wheel drive products, a report in BMW Blog says that BMW is developing a dual-clutch transmission to use in some of those vehicles. If that is the case then BMW would be catching up to its competitors, with Mercedes-Benz using its 7G-DCT in models like the CLA, and Audi putting its six-speed S-tronic in the A3 and seven-speed S tronic in the A6. Acura and Hyundai use dual-clutch gearboxes in their model lineup as well. Right now the only self-shifting option in the front-wheel-drive-based BMW X1 is an Aisin-sourced eight-speed automatic, the one we described as "perfectly fine but not a standout" that requires "some prodding to coax a downshift." The eight-speed sport transmission will be an option in late 2016, but its paddle shifters and quicker gearchanges still won't be equal to a DCT. That latter possibility would give BMW a sportier avenue of development if it did wish to create something truly athletic out of the X1 – BMW Blog muses on an X1 M40i or an X1 M (you should be past the point of shock if this happens). The Mini range could also benefit, the JCW trims currently fitted with a six-speed sport automatic being obvious candidates. Assuming Munich engineers are on the case, it is predicted that we won't see this transmission for at least two years.

BMW will make plug-in hybrid versions of all models

Late last year, BMW made it clear that it would be making plug-in hybrid versions of all of its "core models." The first of those will be the X5 xDrive40e. At the New York Auto Show this week, BMW North America CEO Ludwig Willisch told AutoblogGreen that this enhanced PHEV plan is going to be applied to "every new model." We were asking Willisch if he views Tesla as a competitor to the Bavarian automaker. "I wouldn't say I don't see any competition," Willisch said, "but I still see that a BMW 5 Series and a Tesla are totally different animals." What about the rumored i5 or an i7, we started to ask – "which we don't have" Willisch interrupted – that could happen, couldn't it? "Not any time soon," Willisch said. "What we will have are plug-in hybrids. With the introduction of every new model there will be a plug-in hybrid version of that, too." There are people who are asking if the i brand will expand to a truck or a larger sedan, "but this is all the future," Willisch said. "It's not now and it's not the next couple years." Related Video:

BMW M2, we're happy to see you

I recently spent some time behind the wheel of the BMW M235i and, well, I didn't love it. Sure, it's a great car, but I just didn't truly bond with it the way I have with previous M cars. What I had hoped for was a proper successor to the 1 Series M Coupe I fell in love with in 2011, but what I got instead was just a sporty 2 Series that didn't exactly stir my emotions in the same way.
But now there's this: the honest-to-goodness BMW M2. Previously, spy photographers captured a development-mule M2, but this is the real thing, in its full prototype body. Notice the aggressive front fascia that mimics the M3/M4, the more more robust wheel/tire package, and the M-standard quad exhaust outlets around back. This thing sure does look the business.
Details are slim as of this writing, but rumors suggest power will come from BMW's now-ubiquitous N55 turbocharged 3.0-liter six, with output somewhere in the 360- to 380-horspower range. The seven-speed M dual-clutch transmission seems like a good fit here, too. As does a six-speed manual transmission (here's hoping).