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BMW recalls over 76k 2012-2014 models over brake failure

Bimmerfest is reporting that BMW has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its intention to voluntarily recall more than 75,000 3 Series, 5 Series, X1, X3 and Z4 models due to a possible loss of power brake assist that could result in the vehicles failing to stop. The recall affects 2012-2014 models equipped with either the N20 or N26 engine produced from May 2012 to August 2013. Until recall repairs have been performed, BMW dealers will discontinue selling or delivering any affected vehicles in their inventories.
The problem has been traced to restricted oil supply from the intake camshaft to the brake vacuum pump, which may cause the brake vacuum pump to fail, resulting in a loss of power brake assist. While the hydraulic brakes will still function, the driver must much apply greater pedal pressure and the distance required to stop the vehicle will increase.
BMW has reported three minor accidents with no confirmed injuries. According to Bimmerfest, drivers who encounter a braking problem should "pull the emergency brake and apply as much brake pedal pressure as possible. If your BMW has an electronic parking brake pull up and hold the switch to engage the brake." Drivers should then park in a safe location and contact BMW Roadside Assistance.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X assembly video, autonomous Apple test car spotted?

A video from Tesla shows factory robots assembling a Model X. The teaser video is titled, Team of robots gives Model X its backbone, as the machines are working on the car's structural support. It gives a rare glimpse into the underpinnings of the Model X, and it also reminds people that the cars are being built despite previous delays. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. A Chinese electric vehicle company has hired multiple executives from BMW's i sub-brand. Sources close to the matter tell Automotive News Europe that Future Mobility, an EV company backed by Tencent Holdings and Foxconn Technology Group, has hired Dirk Abendroth as VP of software and connectivity, Benoit Jacob as VP of design, and Henrik Wenders as VP of marketing. The former BMW employees will join former BMW i8 project manager Carsten Breitfeld, who is Future Mobility's CEO. Abendroth and Wenders confirmed their new positions at the Chinese company, while Benoit didn't immediately respond to ANE. A BMW spokesman declined to comment. Read more at Automotive News Europe. A blogger at TechRadar claims to have spotted a possible Apple autonomous test vehicle. Author Michelle Fitzsimmons says the white, unmarked Ford Transit was kitted out with various apparatuses, including Lidar sensors and cameras on the roof. While she originally thought it could be a van from Apple's Maps service, the Lidar and a couple other oddities lead her to speculate that it is actually using self-driving technology. If not testing autonomous features itself, the van could also be gathering data for a future driverless vehicle. Read more at TechRadar, or from Apple Car Fans.

BMW Vision Gran Turismo takes M235i Racing to the virtual extreme [w/videos]

Late last year, Mercedes-AMG worked up a concept car called the Vision Gran Turismo. It presented it at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but that wasn't the point: the point was that it would feature in Gran Turismo 6 on the PlayStation 3. It wasn't the first concept created specifically for the popular driving simulator - following similar projects by Citroën and Red Bull Racing - and as we reported just a month later, it wouldn't be the last. What we have here is the next.
Looking like an even more extreme version of the M235i Racing, the BMW Vision Gran Turismo concept builds on "the tradition of the successful BMW touring cars of the 1970s" in a heart-pumping, if unfortunately strictly virtual form. It's got more extreme aero than the aforementioned M235i Racing and a striking take on the M division's signature light blue, dark blue and red stripe over white livery.
Underneath the digital bonnet sits the same 3.0-liter inline six as the M235i, but pumping out a prodigious (if theoretical) 549 horsepower - far more than the 333 hp in the actual Racing version or the 320 hp in the roadgoing model. Of course BMW has given it an ideal 50:50 front-rear weight distribution and a curb weight of 2,600 lbs - nearly a thousand pounds less than the roadgoing M235i.