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BMW reveals M4 safety car with innovating water injection system [w/video]

Racing series don't just pick their safety cars at random, or use just whatever car is lying around. These days the car that sets the pace at the front of the pack is typically provided through consideration by a sponsor. In the MotoGP series, that's BMW and its M division, which have served up the Official Car of MotoGP since 1999. What you're looking at is the latest, and it packs some innovative technology on board. Aside from the matte black wrap with BMW's iconic striped livery, upgraded aero kit, retrofitted interior and emergency equipment, this BMW M4 coupe packs a new injection system under the hood. Only instead of injecting fuel, it injects water into the combustion chamber – something that wouldn't usually be recommended, but BMW insists actually aids in the combustion process. The idea is that the temperature of the air being mixed with the fuel inside the engine is usually hotter than ideal, so the system injects a fine mist of water into the collector in order to reduce the air's temperature... sort of like one of those hydrating misters at an amusement park or outdoor mall, but in an even hotter environment. The system brings the temperature of the air down to a more optimal temperature, helping it combust better. The process is said to yield a number of positive effects. For one, it reduces knocking. For another, it can make more out of lower-octane fuel where higher octane isn't available. It also can control the adverse effects of higher ambient temperature on the combustion process. But most of all, it increases output and reduce fuel consumption by around eight percent. Whether that eight percent is worth the added weight of the system – particularly with water pump and a 1.3-gallon tank in the trunk – is up for debate. But we'd imagine that the Bavarian engineers have weighed very carefully. Of course there's also the matter of refilling the water tank, which BMW says would be carried out whenever the safety car is refueled, but in real-world conditions would only necessitate attention once every five top-ups at the gas station. By now you might have guessed that BMW probably didn't develop this system just for the MotoGP safety car, and isn't planning on keeping it confined to the racetrack. Instead it's being tested and demonstrated on the safety car before being rolled out on production models in the future.

BMW i8 wins 2015 Car Of The Year award in UK

Those Brits sure do like those Bimmers, don't they? The BMW i8 plug-in hybrid was recently awarded UK Car of the Year from a group of more than two-dozen British automotive journalists, UK's Telegraph reported. Last year's winner of the first-ever such award? The BMW i3 electric vehicle. The i8 was feted for its combination of performance, styling and fuel efficiency. The car pairs a three-cylinder gas engine with a 96-horsepower electric motor and can go from 0-60 miles per hour in just over four seconds while having a fuel-economy rating of 76 MPGe. Last November, the i8 was given Autoblog's 2014 Technology of the Year award and the 2015 Luxury Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal, so the British journalists are not alone in their sleek PHEV love. "This is a truly great honor for BMW's visionary car and proof that sustainable mobility can be beautiful and fun," BMW spokesman Kenn Sparks told AutoblogGreen. Other winners for individual categories from the UK this year included the Rolls-Royce Ghost (which won for Best Luxury Car), Ford Mondeo (Best Family Car) and Renault Twingo (Best City Car). Check out our First Drive impressions of the i8 here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Telegraph via Hybrid Cars Green BMW Hybrid car of the year

M-thusiast pops the question at BMW Welt

We've seen all manner of marriage proposals over the years, but our favorites, of course, revolve around cars. One guy proposed to his girlfriend at a traffic stop, another during an autocross event, while yet another got dozens of Mazda MX-5 owners together to spell "Marry Me?" in Miatas. This latest proposal, however, put the M in Marriage as only a BMW enthusiast could.
While visiting BMW Welt in Munich, Bachir from Lebanon rolled out in a new blue M3 and got down on one knee in front of the gathered crowds to pop the question to Layal, his girlfriend of one year.
We'll let you watch the clip for yourself to see how it went, but suffice it to say that she was delighted. The couple plan to drive to the church in a procession of M cars for what promises to be a high-octane ceremony in their home country.