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Rinspeed issues its Budii call for Geneva [w/video]

Of all the concepts prepared every year for the Geneva Motor Show, those made by Rinspeed are typically the most outlandish and forward-thinking. And this is the latest from Frank Rinderknecht and company. Though Rinspeed's been known to build entirely original vehicles from the ground up, it tends to base its creations on production models: Following the Tesla-based XchangE from last year, the Smart-based Dock+Go of 2012, the Fiat-based E2 from 2009 and the Lotus-based sQuba in 2007, the new Budii concept is based on the BMW i3. That means, of course, that it's powered by electricity, but the technology demonstrator is focused more on autonomous driving tech. The Budii incorporates a periscopic camera and laser scanner to map the terrain and the road ahead from above, and a drive-by-wire steering system that allows the steering wheel on an articulated column to be passed between driver and passenger or tucked out of the way to let the electronics take over. Once unburdened of the task of driving, the occupants can enjoy the proliferation of touchscreens, the "wellness shower" (whatever that is) installed in the headliner, the automatic watch-winder on the steering column and the interior accoutrements furnished by Mansory. The whole thing rides on a lowered suspension with 19-inch Borbet alloys, with a rainbow Knight Rider-style grille in the nose. But to appreciate the full scope of the consortium of suppliers that collaborated with Rinspeed to bring the Budii to life, you'll want to delve into the press release after the video below and scope out the dozens of high-resolution images in the slideshow above. 2015 Geneva Motor Show: Rinspeed "Budii" redefines human-machine interaction Reach out to robots The vision of autonomous driving will soon become reality and will fundamentally change the interaction of man and automobiles. While the research centers of the automotive industry are still feverishly working on the technical solutions, progressive thinkers such as the Swiss idea factory Rinspeed are already giving concrete thought to how automated private transport will transform the car and the man-machine system. Besides fundamental conceptual changes, this will also have to involve issues of ethics and society. In the past, the robots in the factories of this world merely assembled cars for people. In the new "Budii" concept car from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M.

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.

BMW prices M2 at $52,695, X4 M40i at $58,795

BMW announced pricing for both the M2 and X4 M40i during the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The M2 will be the slightly more attainable of the two, priced at $52,695 (including the $995 destination charge). That's about the price of a base Porsche Cayman, and represents a $7,550 premium over the price of the next-step-down M235i ($45,145 delivered). For that much scratch, you get a 2 Series coupe amped up with a 3.0-liter turbo six good for 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. With all that muscle on tap, the M2 will rocket to 60 in 4.2 seconds (in M DCT form) and tops out at a typically German electronically-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. Deliveries start in April. If you need more than two doors (but not much more head room), BMW also rolled out the new X4 M40i at the Detroit Auto Show, and with delivery set to commence next month, it has now released pricing for that as well. The high-performance slant-back will command $58,795 (delivered) – or $8,100 more than the X4 xDrive35i. (That places it price-wise in between the base Macan S and GTS.) It packs a 355 hp turbocharged inline-six channeled to all four wheels, and is capable of reaching 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. THE 2016 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW IN DETROIT: - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW M2. - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW X4 M40i. Woodcliff Lake, N.J.: January 11, 2016 10:30 am EST /7:30 am PDT ... Today, the all-new BMW M2 and all-new BMW X4 M40i made their world debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2016 BMW M2. Making its highly anticipated world debut, the first ever BMW M2 features the renowned BMW M performance complimented by a sleek interior and exterior design. The new entry model of the BMW M GmbH is perfectly aligned with M tradition ensuring unbeatable driving dynamics on the roads and the track, embodying the true DNA of BMW M vehicles. A newly developed M TwinPower Turbo technology 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine produces 365 bHP and 343 lb-ft of torque between 1,400 and 5,560 with an overboost function raising this figure to 369 lb-ft between 1,450 and 4,750 catapulting the high performance vehicle from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds ( M DCT) with a top speed of 155 mph. Inspired by its motorsport roots, the BMW M2 sets the pace in its segment when it comes to agility, driving feeling, directional stability, steering precision and controllability at the limit, without any compromise in everyday use.