nears – All about car

The new four-wheel-drive BMW M8 Coupé is the most powerful and fastest two-door model yet sold by the German car maker, and has made its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Initially revealed in Competition form, the M8 is the latest in a growing line-up of performance models from BMW’s M division. It builds on the strengths of the M850i, with a powertrain shared with the M5 and a chassis honed during a 24-month development programme at the Nürburgring. The now familiar twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 offers up to 616bhp and a top speed of 190mph in top-of-the-line Competition guise, thanks to tweaks to the induction system and more rigid engine mountings than the standard M8. Peak power is produced at 6000rpm, with 553lb ft delivered between 1800 and 5800rpm. BMW quotes a 0-62mph time of 3.2sec for the M8 Competition in Coupé form, with the Convertible one-tenth slower over the same sprint. The regular M8 uses a slightly detuned version of the V8 producing 592bhp – the same as the standard M5. Peak power appears at 6000rpm and the same 553lb ft as the Competition model is delivered between a slightly narrower rev band, from 1800-5600rpm. The M8’s power figure is 69bhp more than that of the turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 used by the M850i, which shares the M8’s torque figure. The 0-62mph time for the standard M8 is 3.3sec for the Coupé, and 3.4sec for the Convertible. Both weigh 1885kg and are limited to a nominal top speed of 155mph, although this can be raised to 190mph with an optional Driver’s Package that also brings tyres with a higher speed rating. As with the M850i, the Convertible uses a multi-layer fabric roof that stows in a dedicated compartment at the rear. The model enters BMW’s M line-up as a replacement for the rear-wheel-drive M6 Convertible and a high-end rival to the likes of the Mercedes-AMG S63 Cabriolet. Key identifying features of the new BMW include a uniquely styled bumper, M badging in the grille and side air vents, 20in M-Sport wheels, M-Sport mirror housings, a boot deck lip spoiler and a rear bumper with a wide diffuser element and BMW M’s quad round tailpipe treatment. At 4867mm long, 1907mm wide and 1362mm high, the M8 Coupé is 36mm shorter, 8mm wider and 12mm lower than the discontinued M6 Coupé. It also uses a wheelbase that is 24mm shorter than that of its predecessor at 2827mm, with corresponding track widths that are reduced by 4mm at the front, at 1627mm, and increased by 20mm at the rear, at 1632mm. Inside there are a number of traditional M division elements, including the latest M-Sport steering wheel, stainless steel pedal caps, heavily contoured M-Sport seats, unique M-Sport digital instruments, M-specific graphics for the infotainment system and a newly designed M-sport gear lever. The M8’s four-wheel drive system draws on developments brought to the latest M5 and offers the choice between standard 4WD, 4WD Sport and, with the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system switched off, a pure rear-wheel-drive 2WD setting. Underpinning the new BMW M flagship is an adaptive M suspension system with double wishbones at the front and a five-link arrangement at the rear, together with variable damper control. 20in wheels feature on both variants, shod in 275/35 front and 285/35 rear tyres. The steering uses a further-developed version of the M850i’s electric power steering system, with an M-specific tune for the electric assistance and variable ratio. The M8 is now available to order, with prices starting at £123,435 and first deliveries set to take place in
Origin: New BMW M8 Competition: 616bhp super-coupe nears production

Fords promised to build an autonomous, ride-sharing car by 2021.Ford Volkswagen ended a self-driving technology partnership with Silicon Valley startup Aurora Innovation Inc. as it draws closer to a broader collaboration on autonomous cars with Ford. “The activities under our partnership have been concluded,” a VW spokesman said of its alliance with Aurora in a statement Tuesday. The German manufacturer announced the tie-up with Aurora to develop autonomous-car technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last year to help boost its own activities spearheaded by the Audi premium-car unit. Meanwhile, months of negotiations with Ford and its autonomous affiliate Argo AI are near fruition and a deal could be announced as early as July, people familiar with the situation said. Most of the thorniest issues have been resolved and the two companies envision a comprehensive collaboration creating a global colossus in the self-driving space, these people said. The partnership would rival Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise unit in ambition and scope, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified revealing internal discussions. Self-driving cars have emerged as key battleground between automakers and technology giants in the race to develop robo-taxis and driverless delivery vehicles. These programs require investments in the billions of dollars, while regulatory frameworks vary across the globe, complicating testing and deployment. Volkswagen and Ford, which agreed to co-produce vans and pickups earlier this year, have been discussing an investment in Argo AI, the Ford-backed autonomous vehicle startup, people familiar with the talks have said. The automakers discussed an approximate valuation for Argo of US$4 billion, one of the people said. Ford said its talks with Volkswagen are ongoing but did not provide specifics on the extent of progress. “Discussions have been productive across a number of areas. We’ll share updates as details become more firm,” it said in a statement. VW declined to comment on the status of the talks. Aurora, which raised over half a billion dollars in February from backers including Sequoia Capital and Amazon.com Inc., announced on Monday it will partner with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to develop and deploy a fleet of self-driving commercial vehicles. The company is the brainchild of Sterling Anderson, the former director of autonomy for Tesla Inc.; Drew Bagnell from Uber Technologies Inc.; and Chris Urmson, who headed Alphabet’s self-driving car project before it was named
Origin: VW nears self-driving deal with Ford, exits Aurora alliance