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BMW seeks partners for electric Mini, could make it an all-EV brand

LOS ANGELES — Germany's BMW is talking with other automakers "around the world" to try to find partners to lower the cost of electrifying its future Mini small cars, management board member Peter Schwarzenbauer told Reuters. "We are talking to many OEMs (manufacturers) around the world, not only in China, (about) how to electrify smaller cars," Schwarzenbauer said. "There's no final conclusion on it." Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor said last month it was discussing a possible venture to build Mini vehicles in China. BMW currently does not build Mini vehicles outside Europe. Schwarzenbauer declined to discuss the Great Wall situation, saying "this was speculation." However, he said building smaller electric cars was challenging, not only because of the financial costs, but also the engineering problem of fitting batteries with sufficient range into a smaller vehicle package. BMW has worked with rivals before to share the costs of clean vehicle technology. The automaker has a partnership with Toyota to develop fuel cell vehicles. BMW has said it plans to launch a new, electric Mini model in 2019. Eventually, Mini could become an entirely electric brand aimed at urban consumers, Schwarzenbauer said. Mini sales in the United States have fallen 10 percent through the first 10 months of this year, as demand for many smaller cars has waned in favor of sport-utility vehicles and trucks. "It's really only in the U.S. where we are facing this with Mini," Schwarzenbauer said. BMW will not try to reverse that trend by adding larger SUVs to the Mini lineup, Schwarzenbauer said. Instead, he said, "the way for Mini in the U.S. is ... building the Mini brand in the direction of the electric urban mobility company." On a separate issue, Schwarzenbauer said BMW intended to offer a self-driving car planned to debut in 2021 at a price that could be below $100,000. The iNEXT model, which BMW previewed earlier this year, will be offered to individuals, ride services fleets and put into service in BMW fleets, Schwarzenbauer said. "By 2021, you will have a lot of people who want to own this car," he said. "It will be a normal price. We are thinking of scaling this. To bring a $150,000 electric car is nice, but it will not really scale." When it launches, the iNEXT may not be offered with complete, so-called Level 5, autonomy because the regulatory and legal frameworks for such a vehicle likely won't be in place, Schwarzenbauer said.

Popular Science magazine's Best Of What's New 2012 all ate up with cars

Popular Science has named the winners in its Best of What's New awards, the victors coming in the categories of aerospace, automotive, engineering, entertainment, gadgets, green, hardware, health, home, recreation, security and software. The automotive category did not go wanting for lauded advancements:
Tesla Model S: the Grand Award winner for being "the standard by which all future electric vehicles will be measured."
BMW 328i: it's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gets called out for being more powerful and frugal than the six-cylinder it replaces.

Xcar rates AWD vs. FWD vs. RWD

With snow and ice blanketing large swathes of the United States over the past few weeks, commuting hasn't been easy. Among some drivers, there's an ongoing debate about how much all-wheel drive really helps when it gets slippery and whether rear-drive is as bad in slick conditions as many people think. Xcar Films puts some of those beliefs to the test in its latest video by showing off three very different cars taking on a trio of low-grip challenges. Xcar's picks for the test include the fairly plebeian, all-wheel drive Subaru Impreza, the somewhat plush, rear-drive BMW 120d and the sporty, front-drive Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy. Things start out easy with a hydraulic plate forcing the back end out on a wet skid pad. From there, the tests get really interesting with a slalom on simulated ice, and the cars finish with a high-speed cornering challenge through a soaked turn. While an obvious winner emerges in the end, keep in mind this is hardly a scientific test of grip. For better accuracy, all three vehicles should be wearing identical tires, and the same driver should be behind the wheel of each one. Still, Xcar's examination is a fun chance to see how vehicles react when things get slick. News Source: Xcar Films via YouTube BMW Subaru Renault Driving Safety Videos xcar renault megane xcar films renault megane rs