1999 Bmw Z3 Coupe Coupe 2-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Mini Countryman PHEV caught at electric watering hole

Our spy photographers have once again found the next generation Mini Countryman out testing in the wild. This time, they caught it replenishing its thirst for electrons. Although we knew some sort of hybrid Countryman was coming, this confirms its existence and plug-in capabilities beyond any reasonable doubt. Like the rest of the Mini lineup, this new Countryman will be noticeably larger than its predecessor. It also appears to feature a larger, more aggressive grille and lower intake vents. Other than that, the car appears to be quite evolutionary in design. Our spy photographers expect the plug-in hybrid Countryman to debut in 2019 powered by a combination of the 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder and an electric motor. We have also predicted that the gasoline engine could power the front wheels while the electric motor (or motors) powers the rear wheels, which together could provide all-wheel-drive and 240 horsepower. Related video:

2013 BMW M6 Coupe

The Act And The Exclamation
The 2013 BMW M6 is a rolling obscenity - one that begins with the capital letter "F." It is both the act and the exclamation, the curse and the encouragement. It courts no logic. It is all want and no need, and it is unbecoming of the BMW roundel. Whereas the brand's products once strove to unite man and machine in a duet of blissful performance, the M6 seems built solely to stand between the driver and the road. You are very clearly in its way every second you're behind the wheel, slowing it down and generally being the Monday morning to its two-day trance festival. It's clear this car is very fast, but it has no interest in making you fast in the way that the M3 or even the M5 are wont to do.
But somehow, all that doesn't stop the car from stoking every last lick of lust in your gut. A 560-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 will do that for you.

BMW to offer carbon fiber wheels in a year or two

The Citroën SM sat on the first set of production glass fiber and resin wheels in 1972 when parent company Michelin developed the exotic hoops in order to take the SM rallying. It wasn't until 2008 that we got the first all-carbon-fiber wheel for passenger cars in the form of a prototype model from Weds Sports in Japan that remained a prototype. Australian company Carbon Revolution followed that a year later with its CR-9 all-CF wheel, first introduced on the Shelby Ultimate Aero and now available for independent purchase for about $15,000 per set. BMW could be the first OEM to offer entire wheels in carbon fiber reinforced plastic in two years.
The wheels - either all-CFRP or using a CFRP rim and alloy spokes - were shown off during BMW's Innovation Days in Munich and are products of the development work done on its i-branded cars. The full-CFRP wheel is 35-percent lighter than a forged alloy wheel, the hybrid alloy and CFRP wheel is 25-percent lighter, making for a decent drop in unsprung rotating weight. As demonstrators during a tech day the wheels aren't yet in the pipeline for production and EU approval, but an article in Auto Express claims that they could be on the market as soon as two years from now.
Other possible parts include a full carbon fiber steering wheel and propeller shaft, the latter of which is coming as a single-piece component on the new M3 and M4. BMW is also talking up its use of secondary carbon fiber - waste material from i3 and i8 production - that can be used for items like IP support structures, seat frames and spare wheels in place of traditional metals like aluminum and magnesium. There's an excerpt of the Innovation Day press release below with more details.