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The 2016 BMW M2 is a steroid-addled M235i [UPDATE]

UPDATE: As it turns out, BMW mixed up the weight specs in the official press materials. We spoke to BMW for confirmation, and the manual M2 weighs 3,450 pounds, the DCT car weighs 3,505. We've updated the text to reflect this. If you're looking for a featherweight M235i, you'll be disappointed. The extra power and goodies are offset by negligible weight savings. When we first got behind the wheel of the M235i early last year, BMW was quick to point out the spiritual link between the small quasi-M car and its ancestors, the 2002 Turbo and the E30 M3, but we couldn't help but think fondly of the more potent 1M Coupe. And while the M235i got a lot of things right, its weight and price took some of the shine off it. But more importantly, the intangibles that those older BMWs nailed was somewhat lacking in the M235i – while fun, it was somewhat distant, unlike the visceral 1M. Until we drive the 2016 BMW M2, those intangibles will remain intangible. But on paper, the M2 looks to be a super-M235i, buffed up with M goodies like an active rear differential and lightened suspension components. But if you're looking for a featherweight M235i, you'll be disappointed. The extra power and goodies are offset by negligible weight savings. With the manual it weighs 3,450 pounds, an 85-pound reduction. With the DCT, it's a wash at 3,505 pounds. At least the M2 looks like a proper M car. The side bodywork swells 2.1 inches up front and 3.1 inches in the rear to accommodate wide 19-inch forged wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The front end takes the M235i theme (itself an adrenaline-injected version of lesser 2 Series cars) and adds steroidal menace, with the expected larger intakes to feed the extra engine radiator. Out back, there's a diffuser in the rear tray that the M235i lacks, and the scallops that incorporate the taillights plainly telegraph the extra rear width. It's the M4's handsome younger sibling. Like the M235i to which its clearly related, the heart of the M2 is a 3.0-liter inline-six that inhales through a TwinScroll exhaust manifold-integrated turbocharger. High-precision direct injection, Double-VANOS, and Valvetronic are all present and accounted for, with some M goodies like pistons and crank bearings trickling down from the M3 and M4. The result is 365 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 343 pound-feet of torque available from as low as 1,400 rpm.

Mini has become the Rover that BMW always wanted

BMW has been working for 20 years to build a successful line of British cars, and on the evidence of the second-generation Mini Clubman, it may have finally done it. That means it's time for all of us to get used to the fact that Minis aren't going to be that small anymore. Case in point is this new Mini Clubman, introduced last month and conspicuous by its size. Many of us who've pointed to BMW's stewardship of Mini as an example of retro done right bemoaned the Countryman subcompact SUV – a concept actually ahead of its time. The Coupe and Roadster, perhaps rightfully, deserved (and received) an eye roll. But now there's a so-called four-door hardtop that went on sale this year and this forthcoming, six-door Clubman that approaches the compact hatchback class in size. These vehicles actually look like practical moves at keeping buyers from defecting to larger cars made by someone else, rather than vain attempts at maximizing investment in a set of parts. And in an interesting twist, Mini is turning into one of its ancestors – minus the feeling of inevitable doom. Many of us were led to believe somewhere since Mini's relaunch about 15 years ago that the brand would be a stepping stone into the greater BMW fold. But in reality, it's done exactly the opposite, creating a parallel brand for those not willing to embrace the BMW image, but leaning heavily on British nostalgia. That was sort of the reasoning used when BMW pulled the Rover Group of England away from a fruitful partnership with Honda in 1994 and absorbed it all. In the consolidate-or-die '90s, it made sense. BMW had a small, but successful, line of sedans. Rover had no success outside of Western Europe (its last US attempt at selling cars, the Sterling, ended three years earlier). Yet its Land Rover line of SUVs was just right for the time and the 35-year-old Mini still had image-conscious clout. With every passing day, the brilliance of BMW's move to abandon Rover in 2000 seems brighter. Even ditching Land Rover made sense in the long run (and probably saved Jaguar in the process). With every passing day, the brilliance of BMW's move to abandon Rover in 2000 seems brighter. During a chat with Mini USA VP David Duncan this summer, it became clear the Mini of the past is probably gone. A small, city-sized Mini is not necessarily off the table, but larger and more profitable models are coming first.

Intel-Mobileye tech in 2M BMWs, VWs, Nissans will crowdsource maps for autonomy

Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich said on Monday 2 million vehicles from BMW, Nissan and Volkswagen would use its unit Mobileye's technology to crowdsource data for building maps that enable autonomous driving. The world's largest chipmaker bought Israeli firm Mobileye last year to compete with peers such as Qualcomm and Nvidia Corp and tap the fast-growing market of driverless cars, filled with a complex tangle of alliances. (VW, for example, is also working with Nvidia.) Krzanich was the keynote speaker at the Consumer Electronics Show. He said data from Mobileye's Road Experience Management software would gather data to build and update scalable high-definition maps. He also announced that Intel would be working with Ferrari on AI drones to cover Ferrari Challenge North America Series racing. The drones would provide video of the races, but ultimately they would provide drivers with data — video that would let them see their racing performance from overhead, but also telemetry information about, say, how they enter and exit a turn. Intel will also tie up with SAIC Motor Corp, which will use Mobileye technology to develop Level 3, 4 and 5 autonomous cars in China, the chipmaker said. Krzanich also said Intel had not received any information of customer data being compromised so far after the company confirmed last week that security issues reported by researchers in its widely used microprocessors could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Security researchers had disclosed two security flaws exposing vulnerability of nearly every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, Advanced Micro Devices and ARM Holdings. Reporting by Philip GeorgeRelated Video: Image Credit: Intel Auto News Green CES BMW Ferrari Nissan Volkswagen Technology Autonomous Vehicles CES 2018 nvidia intel mobileye