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BMW considering M7 and luxurious 9 Series

BMW just recently rolled out its new flagship 7 Series sedan. It didn't take long for it to introduce not one, but two performance versions as well. But what we've seen until now could only be the start as the Bavarian automaker looks to close the gap between the 7 and the Rolls-Royce Ghost. What you're looking at above appears to be a prototype testing components for a potentially forthcoming M7 – which is something that BMW has never offered before. It's packing what look like enormous, cross-drilled brakes – just the kind of thing an M-fettled 7 would need to keep its mass and momentum in check. It was seen running around with an M5 and X6 M, suggesting that it's the performance division that's playing around with this big sedan for the first time. An M7 would have to pack some serious punch, considering what's already on offer. Both the Alpina B7 (4.4-liter V8) and M760Li (6.6-liter V12) each offer 600 twin-turbocharged horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque driving to all four wheels, capable of hitting 60 mph in the threes. The full M version, then, might need a good 650 hp or more, which would put it out in front of everything else – including the Audi S8 Plus (605 hp) and Mercedes-AMG S65 (621 hp). Even with all that performance and clout, however, the M7 might still not be enough for BMW to close that $200k gap to the bottom of the Rolls-Royce range. That's why it could roll out an even more luxurious and completely separate model, potentially called the 9 Series. The new uber-luxe sedan would take on the Mercedes-Maybach S600 that's proven particularly popular in China, where Automotive News notes that Benz sells half of all the S-Class models it makes. Since they're mostly chauffeur-driven through crowded streets, upscale customers there care less about BMW's traditional focus on handling dynamics and more about comfort. And with the government cracking down on corruption, they've also reportedly been eschewing overt symbols of wealth – like the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, for example. We could expect the 9 Series, then, to offer even more rear-seat legroom than the 7, and be more oriented towards comfort than performance. Related Video:

Jaguar Land Rover to drop supercharged V8 for turbocharged BMW power

There are few things that sound as good as Jaguar's 5.0 liter supercharged V8. As great as it is when the supercharger whines or the exhaust cracks and pops on throttle lift-off as the air pressure equalizes, the basic design dates back to the '90s. Plainly, the engine isn't as efficient as it needs to be, but designing a new V8 from the ground up is an expensive proposition. Instead, Automobile reports that Jaguar Land Rover is set to use a twin-turbocharged V8s supplied by BMW. Scalable architecture is all the rage as automakers streamline designs in order to save costs. For example, Jaguar's current supercharged V6 is quite literally a V8 with two holes missing. They didn't even change the length of the block. It seems both of those designs are on their way out, with the V6 being replaced by a inline-six closely related to the company's inline four. It seems that rather than designing an new and expensive V8 for their top of the line models JLR, is sourcing from BMW. From 1994 to 2000, BMW owned Land Rover. A few models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, used BMW engines then and in the initial years of Ford's JLR stewardship. It seems things have now come full circle. BMW currently makes a twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 that produces anywhere from 440 to 600 horsepower, depending on the application. Automobile says that a new 4.0 liter V8 is in the works and that it will most likely be the engine that JLR uses. Expect it to be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and lighter than what both BMW and JLR currently offer. This seems like a win for both companies. BMW gets to offset the cost of a new motor while JLR, a smaller company, doesn't have to invest in a whole new architecture. As automakers search for ways to cut costs, expect collaborations like this to continue. Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz both share a four-cylinder engine. Ford and GM have worked together to design a shared 10-speed automatic. While we may lament the loss of that wonderful Jaguar Land Rover engine, we can still be happy that they haven't abandoned the V8. Related Video: News Source: Automobile Rumormill BMW Jaguar Land Rover

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW's electric truck, London's electric double-decker bus

BMW and transport and logistics company Scherm Group have put an electric transport truck into service in Munich, Germany. The 40-ton truck, made by Dutch manufacturer Terberg, will be used to move vehicle components between BMW's Munich plant and Scherm's logistics center cleanly and quietly on public roads. Using the electric vehicle saves 11.8 tons of CO2 per year. It charges in about four hours, and has a range of about 62 miles — enough to make the trip between the two facilities eight times a day. The truck will be powered completely by electricity from renewable sources. With this project, BMW "is showing that you can succeed on the global market with sustainable products made by innovative companies," says Bavaria's Minister for Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner. Read more in the press release below. Discount supermarket chain Aldi is offering free charging in Germany. The company has installed fast-charging stations at 50 locations for customers to use while they shop. IKEA also has plans to install free charging at its stores in Germany, and other retailers will likely do the same. While offering free e-juice helps businesses garner the attention of its EV-driving customers, it could also help encourage people to buy electric vehicles. Many are disappointed by Germany's lack of EV incentives, despite the country's goal of having 1 million EVs in operation by 2020. Read more at Automotive News Europe. London will put an all-electric double-decker bus into service this year. London Mayor Boris Johnson announced the electric bus trial at the first ever Clean Bus Summit. The bus, made by BYD, will begin service in October. London has already deployed over 1,300 hybrid buses and retrofitted over 1,400 buses to reduce emissions since 2008. Mayor Johnson's goal is to cut buses' NOx emissions in half by the end of his term in 2016 compared to 2008 levels. Also at the Clean Bus Summit, a number of bus makers and banks committed to helping cities roll out fleets of ultra-low emission buses. Read more in the press release from London, and from BYD. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is funding biofuel projects to the tune of $18 million. The DOE will award the funds to six projects in an effort to reduce the price of algae-based biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge). The DOE has a goal to get the price of algal biofuels to less than $3 per gge by 2030.