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BMW i8 and M1 reunited in mid-engined Bavarian retrospective

The BMW i8 may be the cutting edge today – it did, after all, just win our Technology of the Year award – but as rare an event as it is, it's not the first time that BMW has put out an extreme mid-engined supercar. The last time was in the late 1970s with the M1, a Giugiaro-designed, (partially) Lamborghini-developed piece of exotic machinery. The better part of four decades later, Auto Express has brought together an original M1 with its spiritual (if much more advanced) successor for the video comparison that was bound to happen. The question we can't help but ponder, initial sales success aside, is whether the i8 will mature into a classic in the same way the M1 has.

Recharge Wrap-up: EVSR returns to Mt. Washington, China Mulls $16 Billion For EV Charging

Foxconn and electric carmaker BAIC are partnering to provide an electric car rental service in China. Slated to kick off next month in Beijing, Hangzhou and Jiangsu province, the company, called Henyu, will offer the EV rentals by the hour. Henyu hopes to offer 5,000, to 10,000 electric rental cars within a year, and wants to become the largest EV rental group in China. The company will also deploy BAIC's E150EV to ten cities for rental outside of Beijing. Read more at Want China Times. Hoping to convince more people to make the switch to electric cars, China is considering investing $16 billion to install charging facilities. Anonymous sources have said that an announcement about the program will be made soon. China has already announced and implemented various measures, such as incentives and tax breaks, to encourage more people to drive emissions free and improve urban air quality. China aims to have 30 percent of its government vehicle purchases be EVs by 2016, with higher targets after that. There's more from Bloomberg. BMW is launching a campaign to highlight technology features from the i8 to be used in other BMW vehicles. Called BMW Innovations, the program will include television ads showing how the i8's full-color heads-up display, LED headlight technology and Surround View Camera System are making their way into cars such as the 3 Series, 5 Series and X3, respectively. BMW Innovations also includes digital and social media campaigns, as well as hands-on technology presentations at dealerships. See the new ads below, and learn more in the press release. EVSR is set to return to Mt. Washington for the Alternate Energy Summit. It is the team's first time back since EVSR set the electric vehicle record at the Climb to the Clouds hill climb earlier this year. EVSR will run the cars up the hill again, and it will hold a workshop about electric racing, called "Redefining Motorsports - A How-To Guide for Creating a Revolution in Speed." The Alternative Energy Summit takes place on September 13 and 14 as part of National Drive Electric Week, and is free to the public. Read more in the press release, below. BMW Debuts BMW Innovations Campaign Showcasing Key Technology Features. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 27, 2014... BMW of North America will introduce a new campaign, BMW Innovations, which will highlight how the range of BMW vehicles share several key technology features with the visionary BMW i8, a plug-in hybrid high-performance vehicle.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe could be coming

Dig the BMW 2 Series coupe but wish it had more doors? Well you're in luck, sir or madam, as that's just what BMW has in store. According to Autocar, the Bavarian automaker is planning to launch a 2 Series Gran Coupe. And what's more is that there'll be an M2 version with four doors as well. Not to be confused with the 2 Series Gran Tourer – a front-drive city car based on an entirely different platform – the 2 Series Gran Coupe would follow the same formula that BMW applies to the 4 Series and 6 Series Gran Coupe. That is to say a sedan with sleek "coupe" styling, sized to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3. BMW unveiled a similar design as the BMW Concept Compact Sedan at the Guangzhou Motor Show last year. The production 2 Series Gran Coupe will likely look more like the existing 2 Series coupe, only a bit longer to accommodate the additional doors. It's also possible the Gran Coupe could have a liftgate at the back instead of a trunklid. The best part is that an M2 version is likely. The M2 coupe is one of our favorite cars; a four door option would increase the appeal to many. It's expected to pack the same 3.0-liter turbo six as the M2 coupe, good for 365 horsepower and mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT. In classic German automaker fashion, this makes sure BMW doesn't cede a market slice to the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 and the forthcoming Audi RS3 sedan, but the Bimmer will stick with a rear-drive layout instead of its all-wheel-drive rivals. Of course there will be other, less powerful versions as well, including gasoline and diesel engines with three cylinders or four, and potentially even a plug-in hybrid. Buyers will also be able to choose between rear- or all-wheel drive setups. As no official announcement has been made, it's anybody's guess as to when we could see any variant for sale in the US. Related Video: