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2015 BMW X4 slides in on the diagonal starting at $45,625 in the US

If BMW has shown us anything, it's a knack for creating niches and expanding its product portfolio. Go back to the early '90s and it had essentially four models: the 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series. End of list. Since then, the Bavarian automaker has not only taken on Mini and Rolls-Royce, but has expanded its own range of models exponentially. You can chalk a big part of that up to crossovers, and another sizable chunk to giving existing models a different roofline and calling it something new. What we have here is a prime example of both.
Previewed in concept form the better part of a year ago at the Shanghai Motor Show, the slantback version of the X3 (and the baby brother to the X6) is now here in full production guise. Mechanically it's essentially the same as the new X3 on which it's based, but amps up the "sport" at the expense of the "utility" part of the SUV equation.
BMW will undoubtedly offer a wide range of powertrain configurations in markets around the world, but back in the United States it'll be offered in two specs: the X4 xDrive28i, packing a 2.0-liter inline-four with 240 horsepower and a $45,625 sticker price (including destination), or the X4 xDrive35i with the 300hp 3.0-liter six and a $48,925 MSRP. Either way, you're getting an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is the world's first front-drive Bimmer [w/videos]

While BMW has been showing concepts for its Active Tourer for over a year, they never seemed entirely real. Why would BMW, a company that has built its image on sporty, rear-wheel drive sedans, move into the five-door, front-wheel-drive market? The answer is still not entirely clear, but the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is very real. It launches in Europe later this year and is rumored to come to the US in 2015.
To brand purists, a front-wheel drive BMW may seem anathema to everything the company has built, and the production Active Tourer has clearly been built to provide drivers with a luxurious but utilitarian package first and foremost. It is 170.9 inches long and rides on a 105.1-inch wheelbase, but despite its compact dimensions, its high roof allows for 16.53-cubic-feet of cargo space with the rear seats up or 53.33 cubic feet with them folded flat. Its general appearance is nearly identical to the previous concepts, except with a blunter nose and cleaner lines. The front end wears BMW's traditional dual circular headlights and naturally, while the profile incorporates the company's traditional Hofmeister kink into the greenhouse's rear pillar. The interior has been designed to be especially useful with a sliding rear seat, adjustable rear backrests, fold-flat backrests and optional features like an automatic tailgate and panoramic sunroof.
Unlike both previous concepts, none of the Active Tourer models at launch use hybrid power. For Europe, the hatchback is going on sale with three engine options. The basic version is the 218i Active Tourer with a 1.5-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder with 134 horsepower that we just previewed in the 2014 Mini Cooper - good enough for average fuel economy of 48 miles per gallon in the EU cycle when equipped with a six-speed manual. The next step up is the 225i Active Tourer with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 228 hp and offers 39-mpg average fuel economy. Finally, there is the there is the 218d Active Tourer with its 148-hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel and 57 mpg average fuel economy on the EU cycle. A six-speed manual is standard on all of them, but there is a six-speed automatic option for the 218i and eight-speed automatics available for the 225i and 218d. All-wheel drive will be available on future models.

BMW showing all eight of its 'hommage' vehicles at Villa d'Este

BMW is paying a tribute of sorts to its tribute vehicles by bringing together all eight "hommage" concept vehicles for the first time. BMW will exhibit its hommage cars and bikes at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, which takes place near Italy's Lake Como this weekend. The vehicles will be shown off in the Padiglione Centrale at Villa Erba as part of BMW's "The Next 100 Years" campaign. BMW's first tribute vehicle was 1997's MINI ACV (Anniversary Concept Vehicle) 30, a two-seat, mid-engined, right-hand-drive car that the automaker produced to pay tribute to the UK brand's past while hinting at what BMW would subsequently do with the iconic badge. The automaker followed with its BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia in 2006, and then officially started grouping the concept cars in 2008 under the hommage designation with the introduction of the BMW M1 Hommage. That car marked the 30th anniversary of the original BMW M1. View 17 Photos Since then, there have been the BMW 328 Hommage (2011), the BMW Concept Ninety motorcycle (2013), and the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage (2015). In addition to paying tribute to the iconic 1970s-era coupe, last year's concept car showed off advances the company has made in its light-weighting efforts. This year, BMW is adding the BMW 2002 and BMW Motorrad R 5 Hommage to the party. The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este also features about 50 historic cars built between the 1920s and 1980s. For more information from BMW, take a look at the press release below. Tradition as inspiration. The BMW Group's Hommage vehicles come together for the first time at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2016. Munich/Cernobbio. With BMW's centenary headline "The Next 100 Years" in mind, the BMW Group is bringing together, for the first time, the full line-up of Hommage vehicles unveiled over recent years. They will be joined on display at a special exhibition titled "Hommage and Concept Vehicles" in the Padiglione Centrale at Villa Erba by the models from the past that inspired them. Munich/Cernobbio. With BMW's centenary headline "The Next 100 Years" in mind, the BMW Group is bringing together, for the first time, the full line-up of Hommage vehicles unveiled over recent years. They will be joined on display at a special exhibition titled "Hommage and Concept Vehicles" in the Padiglione Centrale at Villa Erba by the models from the past that inspired them.