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BMW's new strategy: Electric everything

Mercedes isn't the only car maker determined to beat Tesla before it gets huge. Sources speaking to German business daily Handelsblatt claim that BMW is in the midst of planning an executive shuffle that will also include a big shift in its electric vehicle strategy. While the company would still offer ground-up EV designs like the i3, the new strategy would greenlight electric versions of some of BMW's most important vehicles, including the 3-series sedan, X4 crossover, and iconic Mini. If the leak is accurate, management is likely to approve the change at the end of September. We've asked BMW for its take on the report, although it declined to comment to Handelsblatt. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Munich crew change tack, though. While Tesla has received hundreds of thousands of Model 3 pre-orders, i3 sales dropped in 2016 – the upscale (if oddly-shaped) EV just isn't as hot as it once was. If BMW electrifies some of its most popular cars, you wouldn't have to choose between a super-efficient, eco-friendly EV and the familiar designs of the brand's mainstream driving machines.The story originally appeared on Engadget, your guide to this connected life.Related Video: Featured Gallery Mini Vision Next 100 Concept View 38 Photos Green BMW MINI Electric Hybrid engadget

The BMW 2002 Hommage is a retro concept done right

BMW has been building hommage cars for years now. They're teases that let us know the designers remember what was great about BMW design past, even if that's not always obvious in the new cars. The latest tribute car is this 2002 Hommage, which makes its debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza at Villa d'Este this weekend. Like past hommage cars, the 2002 is more about design than mechanicals. BMW doesn't even mention what theoretically powers this car, and frankly we don't care. There are clues, however, from the classic livery, which includes an M tri-color front splitter with "obrut" ghosted over it, similar to the reversed text on the original '02 Turbo. We'll guess it's a powerful turbocharged engine under the hood, whatever the specifics are. View 17 Photos Neat details abound. There's a carbon-fiber band at the beltline that is supposed to recall the original 2002's chrome trim. The greenhouse is more slick 2 Series than boxy '02, and the flared-fender goodness is a definite nod to the homologation 2002 Turbo. The off-center roundel at the tail is another nice 2002 touch. We're into the ducktail spoiler out back, and, although not quite '60s-specific, the snowflake wheels are pretty great. Even the lighting elements are retro-tinged. The headlight lenses have a gold hue since this is the golden anniversary of the 1966 model. There are also separate turn-signal units embedded above the headlights, here stuck into a piece of carbon trim. Of course, this hommage is likely nothing more than eye candy. BMW uses them more as design exercises than forecasts of future styling. It's good daydream fuel, at least. Image Credit: BMW BMW Coupe Concept Cars Performance villa deste concorso deleganza villa deste bmw 2002 bmw 2002 hommage

2015 BMW X4 gets its small-screen debut

It's easy to dismiss the 2015 BMW X4. On one hand, the high-style crossover seems more like a boardroom decision than a practical one. In a world with the 3 Series, 4 Series, X3, 3 Series GT and 4 Series Gran Coupe, is BMW really being inundated with requests for a baby X6? Of course, when we finally got behind the wheel of the CUV for our First Drive, it proved rather entertaining, and certainly the X6's global sales success suggests that it's worth the relatively low-cost risk for the Bavarian automaker.
Now, it's the general public's chance to weigh in on the latest crossover Bimmer and vote with their dollars. The X4 is just hitting showrooms in the US, and BMW is beginning its marketing campaign for it with the slogan "Embrace the Unknown." The first TV ad shows off the CUV driving through the world's major cities as they undulate like the rolling ocean. A woman flatly says phrases starting with "Go," while a synth-heavy score plays underneath that wouldn't be out of place over the end credits in an '80s sci-fi movie.
Visually, it's actually kind of a cool ad and evokes some of the special effects from Inception. Focusing on an urban atmosphere is probably a good idea, too, because the percentage of X4s going offroad is likely to be in the low single digits, if that. Now, let's see if BMW buyers are willing to embrace the unknown of the X4. Scroll down to watch it for yourself.