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Check out 90 years of BMW Motorrad in 90 seconds

After ninety years in business and first-to-market motorcycle innovations like the one-piece 'tunnel' crankcase, hydraulically dampened front forks and full fairings, as well as that trademark boxer engine, BMW Motorrad is celebrating its nonagenarian status with a video: You can follow the ride on BMW motorcycles from 1923 to now in just 90 seconds.
Okay, so there's more than a video - some anniversary-themed bikes and a new retro boxer model celebrating the R 32 "airhead' from 1923 also commemorate the occasion. But you can start with the video, and that's below.

BMW to finally put i8 Spyder into production

The BMW i8 Spyder might finally see production. The vehicle debuted in concept form over three years ago, but despite the coupe version having long since arrived in showrooms, the convertible has been nowhere to be seen. According to the latest reports from Germany, however, that's about to change. According to Automotive News, the company's new chief executive Harald Krueger told German publication Handelsblatt that we'll soon see the BMW i8 Spyder in production form. The prospect of open-air motoring under prodigious amounts of electric power sounds enticing, however we'll have to wait and see just what sort of roof mechanism the production model incorporates. The concept had removable roof panels, however the manufacturer tends to favor automatic roof setups – hardtops in the Z4 and 4 Series, or soft tops in the 2 Series and 6 Series. Around the same time, BMW could introduce a power upgrade in the form of a larger internal combustion engine and a higher-capacity battery to go with it. A 2.0-liter turbo four is tipped to slot in where the current three-pot sits, bringing output up to a solid 450 hp – and with a longer range to boot. If those upgrades to arrive – with or independent of the open-roof version – expect them to be implemented on the coupe as well as the roadster.

Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards honors GM Super Cruise, BMW i3

Our friends at Popular Mechanics have announced the winners of their 2013 Breakthrough Awards, which honor innovations and new technologies in a variety of fields, ranging from medicine to electronics to space travel. Among the winners were a pair of automakers.
The BMW i3 was named one of PM's product breakthroughs, and while the diminutive city car has a range comparable to other electrics, Popular Mechanics was impressed the i3's use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, which allows the i3 to tip the scales at just 2,800 pounds. But the i3's space-age materials wouldn't have been such a smash if it were priced beyond what the general public could afford. BMW's ability to offer a vehicle with such an advanced construction for around $42,000 (nearly half the price of the Cadillac ELR and only about $7,000 more than a Chevrolet Volt or Ford Focus Electric) is wildly impressive and speaks volumes about the future of ultra-light composites in the auto industry.
The other big winner comes from General Motors, which was named an Innovator this year for its semi-autonomous Super Cruise technology that's currently being tested on a Cadillac SRX. The technology, which we've reported on before, combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering into a super system that will allow hands-free driving under certain conditions.