2014 Bmw 435 I on 2040-cars

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2014 BMW X5 recalled over faulty child-safety locks

BMW is set to recall some 6,400 of its new-for-2014 X5 SUVs built between December 12, 2013 and March 10, 2014 due to concerns that the child safety locks, if set, might deactivate without warning. The problem affects only those vehicles with the automatic soft-closing option.
According to the bulletin issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the lock mechanism on the rear doors "may not have been manufactured to correct tolerances," meaning the safety locks could disengage with a simple pull of the door handle. Basically, with a pair of tugs, the rear doors could be opened from the inside, regardless of child safety locks.
BMW is in the process of notifying owners of affected vehicles. Any necessary repairs will be conducted free of charge. Take a look below for the official press release from NHTSA.

2015 BMW X4 xDrive28i

When BMW unveiled the X6 back in 2008, critical reviews were mixed, to say the least. By all accounts, the heavyweight crossover actually drove quite well, but the idea of a BMW X5 that traded a lot of functionality for polarizing looks and a higher price tag seemed like a tough sell. Then it went on sale and quickly proved to be a cash cow. Today, the German brand has moved over a quarter million of the things worldwide. Unsurprisingly, this success has moved BMW to double down on its so-called Sport Activity Coupe by adding a smaller variant. The all-new X4, while not a bad steer in and of itself, makes even less sense than its big brother, particularly when viewed alongside BMW's other offerings. Like the X6 and X5, the X4 borrows heavily from another of the brand's utility vehicles, in this case, the less-costly X3. Also like the X6, this new crossover-coupe's styling is sure to cause a schism among critics and consumers alike. You can probably guess where the majority of the Autoblog camp falls. To be totally frank, the exterior of the X4 is simply ghastly to this writer, particularly in this tester's eye-catching paint. Admittedly – and much like the X6 – there's not much objectionable from the A-pillar forward, where the X4 has a lot in common with the X3. It's only once moving towards the rear that things well and truly go wrong. There's just so much visual mass, and it's been made worse by the way BMW designers wussed out. Bear with me. Compare the profile of the X6 with the X4, and pay particular attention to the roofline on the bigger vehicle. The angle of the roofline is noticeably more dramatic on the X6, which comes at the expense of second-row headroom (an oft-criticized area for the big boy). For the X4, designers tried to have their cake and eat it too, maintaining second-row headroom but with a coupe-like profile. The result is an X4 that is bulbous and uncouth from the B-pillar back, more hunchbacked Gran Turismo than svelte Gran Coupe. BMW might have been better served if its exterior work had followed the stylings of the cabin, which is more or less a clone of what's on offer in the X3. Material quality is still great, with soft-touch plastics and available cool-to-the-touch brushed aluminum throughout. I really dug the Ivory White Nevada leather and contrast red stitching on this test vehicle, as it provided an eye-pleasing departure from the sea of blacks, grays and tans so typical of the luxury crossover market.

BMW exec says public chargers not important for EV success

What has BMW learned from years of electric vehicle test programs and working with Mini E drivers and the ActiveE Electronauts? According to BMW board member Herbert Diess, it's that public charging is not an important piece of the puzzle of making EVs a success. The way those early EV drivers used their vehicles told BMW that, "public infrastructure is not really very important because most people are charging their cars at home," Diess recently told Wards Auto. It's a message we've heard before. Diess' personal experience fits with this conclusion, he said. After driving his company's new i3 city EV for over a year, "not once have I touched public charging." Of course, the i3 does let the driver search for public charging stations and BMW has a partnership with ChargePoint, and Diess is not hinting that BMW is totally against the idea of public charging. Still, Diess' comments are not likely to find a warm welcome with everyone in the EV scene. An August 2012 UCLA study titled "Financial Viability Of Non-Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Stations" (PDF) clearly states: Adoption by consumers will largely be a function of the electric vehicle charging options available. Studies show that most EV charging currently takes place in the home (Carr 2010). Even so, in order for EVs to gain widespread consumer adoption, it is critical for an infrastructure of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSEs) to exist outside the home. Even BMW's own electric drivers have been sending mixed messages. In 2010, a study of Mini E drivers found that 87.5 percent said a public charging infrastructure is necessary, though 75 percent later said they could manage without such a network.