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Toyota close to licensing deal with BMW for fuel cell technology

For over a year now, we've been hearing about a potential partnership between Toyota and BMW on everything from sports cars to lithium-ion batteries, but one of the first cooperative projects between these two automakers could bring Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell technology to a BMW vehicle. Reuters is reporting that an announcement is likely to be made as soon as later this week regarding a BMW fuel cell vehicle that could be in production by 2020 with a prototype running around by 2015.
The last we heard of Toyota's fuel cell technology, it was in the FCV-R Concept that we saw at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, but there is no word how far along in development this system is. If it does come to fruition, such a vehicle for BMW would build on the automaker's commitment to hydrogen that started with the Hydrogen 7, which unlike a fuel cell vehicle, simply ran on hydrogen fuel rather than converting it to electricity for use in motors. We're definitely interested where this Toyota/BMW tie up could be headed.

BMW i8 official images leak ahead of Frankfurt [w/video]

The new BMW i8 plug-in electric supercar isn't set to make its official debut until September 10, when it will glide onto the Frankfurt Motor Show stage amidst a sea of flash photography. Of course, that isn't so true in today's world, where debuts are always preceded (often carefully) by "leaks."
Take this trio of images of the BMW i8 - there's just enough of the exterior on display in the profile shot to draw attention, without showing important styling points that might be present on the front or back of the car. The same goes for the video attached below. The cabin shot is cool, but isn't particularly earth-shattering when it comes to BMW interiors. As for the skeletal shot, we can see the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine positioned between the rear axles, the battery pack found in what would be the transmission tunnel and the front-mounted electric motors.
We'll have a full set of live images when the BMW i8 makes its debut in Frankfurt next week. Until then, have a look in the gallery and at the video below, and let us know what you think of BMW's next big thing.

2014 BMW 2 Series earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ [w/video]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just certified its latest Top Safety Pick+, honoring the all-new BMW 2 Series with the coveted rating.
IIHS cited the 2 Series' crash test ratings, which were rated as "Good" in the small overlap, moderate overlap, side and rollover. In the tricky small overlap test, the crash test dummy was at a "low risk of any significant injury."
The Institute was also complimentary of the 2 Series' head restraint system and its collision prevention system, including forward collision warning and City Braking.