2005 Bmw X5 Awd 4.4i on 2040-cars

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BMW planning to bring an autonomous vehicle to market by 2021

At a press conference in Munich today, BMW announced that it plans to have a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads by 2021. Tech companies Intel and Mobileye will be partners in the project, and the group will be working on an open platform for use by other manufacturers and developers. BMW has been developing autonomous technology for ten years. Despite the recent death of a Tesla driver while using the company's Autopilot system, BMW believes its technology will be fully ready for the roads in the next five years. The group is using a combination of real-world and digital simulations to test their products, with BMW, Intel, and Mobileye each sharing a bit of the project. Tesla uses a version of Mobileye's current driver-assistance technology. BMW eventually hopes to have vehicles that don't require anyone to be in the vehicle while it drives, allowing for drop-off, pick-up, and self-parking capabilities. The group's open platform is something it hopes other manufacturers can use. The goal is to foster an archetype that regulatory bodies can use to make industry-wide laws and standards. The auto industry seems poised for a shift toward EVs and autonomous vehicles. Volkswagen recently announced a plan to bring 30 electric cars to market in the next 10 years. Local Motors has developed autonomous, electric public transport. It's not clear what sort of vehicle BMW will bring, but it did have a modified i8 on display at the conference. Related Video: News Source: BMW Green BMW Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles intel mobileye

Next BMW X6 to be larger, more aggressive

If the current BMW X6, introduced in 2008, is looking a bit too bland for your tastes, have no fear as the next-generation model is reportedly going to be larger and more aggressive than its predecessor.
Autocar is reporting that an insider has revealed the all-new second-generation X6 will make its world debut at the 2014 Moscow Motor Show, going on sale just after summer. More aggressive styling will help BMW distinguish its sportier X6 from BMW's more practical models, such as the X3 and X5, said the source.
The next X6 will again share platforms with the X5, but it will be stretched slightly to provide second-row passengers with more legroom. Powerplants will also likely mirror those of its mainstream cousin, including a range of turbocharged six- and eight-cylinder engines and a range-topping M model (the 2013 BMW X6 M is show above).

M-fographic breaks down the history of BMW performance machinery

Few characters carry the kind of clout among performance enthusiasts as the letter M. For 35 years now, that one letter has adorned over 300,000 BMWs, each tuned to deliver a higher degree of performance than the stock models on which they're based.
The M division has worked up nearly 100 different models over the past third of a century, which can leave even the most expert among Bimmer fanatics bewildered. Fortunately British auto loan service Carfinance247 has commissioned this handy infographic to make sense of it all, and you can check it out below to see what the letter M really stands for.