Diesel power, in the guise of the new 2014 328d, returns to BMWs 3 Series lineup. BMW may be heavily investing in electric vehicles, but it expects to continue building petroleum-fueled engines, with diesel lasting at least 20 years and gasoline another decade after that.Speaking with Automotive News Europe, Klaus Frhlich, BMW Group board member of development, said even with battery-electric and plug-in hybrids, he expects at least 80 per cent of the companys vehicles will still have an internal combustion engine by 2025.A best assumption would be just 30 per cent electrified sales by 2025, Frhlich added.We see areas without a recharging infrastructure, such as Russia, the Middle East, and the western internal part of China, so they will rely on gasoline engines for another 10 to 15 years, Frhlich told the magazine. He said the coastal part of China, and cities like Beijing and Shanghai, will be battery-electric in about ten years, while Europe is more likely to embrace plug-in hybrids. In the U.S., he expects battery-electrics to sell mainly on the west coast and in parts of the east coast, but they will not become mainstream vehicles. In order to create emissions credits for environmental regulations, the company will most likely offer sportier, more powerful BMW M plug-in hybrids to American (and no doubt Canadian) customers.Frhlich told Automotive News Europe that the shift to electrification is overhyped, and that battery-electric vehicles cost more in terms of raw materials for batteries. This will continue and could eventually worsen, as demand for these raw materials increases.BMW will abandon a 1.5-L three-cylinder diesel it sells in Europe because its too costly to engineer it to comply with tightening emissions standards. Frhlich also said the company wont design a successor to the six-cylinder, 400-horsepower diesel in the 750d, since its too pricey and complicated to build due to its four turbochargers.The automaker will continue to engineer four- and six-cylinder diesels, but with no more than three turbochargers. Its working on a business case to continue its eight-cylinder gasoline engines, but will eventually drop its V12, which only sells about 5,000 copies per year globally including at Rolls-Royce and which has to be regularly updated to meet new emissions standards, especially in
Origin: BMW expects to build diesel engines for another 20 years
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Michelin and GM want to run airless tires in five years
Michelin and General Motors revealed a new airless tire prototype early June, which they say will potentially go into production in 2024. Call the Michelin Uptis, for “Unique Puncture-proof Tire System,” the new tire builds on the company’s all-in-one Tweel, and its 3D-printed Vision concept tire. The two companies announced a joint research agreement June 4, under which GM will test the tire under real-world conditions at its facility in Michigan, using a fleet of Chevrolet Volt electric cars. Michelin said the airless Uptis will help driver to feel safer, eliminate issues caused by low tire pressure, and create environmental savings through the reduced use of raw materials for replacement and spare tires. The company also said that approximately 200 million tires are scrapped prematurely each year worldwide, due to punctures, damage or uneven wear caused by improper tire pressure. The Uptis will use proprietary materials and production methods, including lightweight resin-embedded fiberglass reinforcement, sustainable rubber, and aluminum for the
Origin: Michelin and GM want to run airless tires in five years
The hill-climbing Porsche Boxster Bergspyder honours 50 years of 909
If you’re like me, the words ‘mountain spider’ immediately conjure images of that giant, eight-legged mechanical tarantula from the 1999 movie Wild Wild West starring Will Smith. Average film, amazing giant spider—I think we can all agree. But Porsche’s interpretation of the ‘mountain spider’ concept is considerably more elegant than that. The Porsche Boxster Bergspyder (berg meaning mountain in German) was built in 2015 to celebrate 50 years of the iconic Porsche 909 hillclimb car, which, at just 384 kg, remains the lightest race car ever built by Porsche. Now, four years later, we get to see it. The brand’s Executive Board commissioned the one-off to be based on the 2015 model-year Boxster. What started as a typical Boxster was retooled, redesigned, reworked, slightly reduced and then painted white and green to resemble the 909 that earned its reputation with multiple championship wins on the slopes of the European Hill Climb championships in the late 1960s. Using the same strategy its engineers employed decades earlier when developing the original 909 hillclimber, Porsche prioritized the power-to-weight ratio, eliminating all but the essentials. They ditched the roof, the passenger seat (and in fact the entire passenger side of the interior), the door handles as well as the majority of the windscreen, shedding 216 kg to bring the total weight of the Bergspyder 2.0 to 1,099 kg. Inside there’s DNA from the 918 Spyder on display within elements like the dashboard gauges and bucket seats. The engine, a 3.8-litre flat-six that makes 388 horsepower, comes from the Cayman GT4. Porsche apparently toyed with the idea of putting the Boxster Bergspyder into production, but ultimately decided against it due to the complications of making such a beast road-legal. Sure, but who needs roads when you’ve got a mountain spider?
Origin: The hill-climbing Porsche Boxster Bergspyder honours 50 years of 909
Audi to introduce 7 new SUV variants by year’s end
As if we needed any further proof crossovers and SUVs are here to stay and not just a passing fad, top brass at Audi announced the company will present seven completely new SUV variants (that is, without predecessors) in 2019. It’s the without predecessors notation that made us sit up and take notice. According to text from the AGM, these seven new variants will include two “particularly sporty” versions of the big-dog Q8. Could this portend an S8 and RS Q8, perhaps? Audi’s biggest SUV with a Urus-derived engine would be quite cool. Mentioned along with these mysterious Q8 variants were Q3 Sportback and e-tron Sportback models. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Audi have been looking at the coupe-ification of SUVs happening at other German brand, and is now looking for a piece of the action. Specifically, Audi said it will launch the design-oriented Sportback concept in its SUV family. Elsewhere, the company says they will significantly expand the Audi On Demand flexible premium mobility service. As of the fourth quarter, customers in 10 European countries will successively be able to access up to 10,000 Audi vehicles and use them flexibly. Plans call for a shoring up of dealer support to facilitate these plans.This will be the umbrella brand for all Audi mobility solutions, from short-term bookings to long-term vehicle use. In the first quarter of 2019, deliveries of the Audi brand decreased by 3.6 per cent to 447,247 vehicles, compared to 263,750 in 2018. This happened due to to certain supply issues causing some models to be quite thin on the ground. Here at home, Audi moved 6,404 vehicle in the first quarter of this year, down from 7,936 in 2018. This can be partially attributed to vehicle supply issues as well. This sales performance places Audi ahead of Lexus and Acura, but behind the eight-ball compared to BMW and
Origin: Audi to introduce 7 new SUV variants by year’s end
BMW welcomes the M5 into mid-life with the M5 Edition 35 Years
Major anniversaries and milestones in the automotive world are celebrated in any number of ways. You can market Champagne like Bugatti did, or turn an old race car into vinyl records like Porsche, or you can do what most automakers do when the occasion is grand enough and release a special edition. And in the BMW family, one of the members is celebrating a relatively significant birthday this year: The M5 is turning 35. To honour the beginning of what would become an iconic car for the brand, BMW has christened a dark and dashing special edition: the M5 Edition 35 Years. The anniversary car is based on the M5 Competition, with the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine making 617 horsepower and 553 lb.-ft. of torque. That grants it the same sprint time of zero-to-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds; and top speed of 200 km/h, which it hits after 10.8 seconds. But BMW Motorsport GmbH got BMW Individual to make sure people would be able to tell that this was no ordinary extraordinary M5 Competition saloon. Well, some people. The Edition model comes in a special matte finish called Frozen Dark Grey, with grey 20-inch alloy wheels and brake calipers in gold or high-gloss black. The interior gets black leather seats with contrast beige stitching; select surfaces finished in a shimmering “aluminum carbon structure gold anodized,” and door sills and a centre console engraving that reads “M5 Edition 35 Jahre,” or “35 Years.” We’re just going to say it: middle age looks good on the M5. The production run will total just 350 examples, with 35 allocated for the United States. BMW Canada says it’s still working out its distribution strategy on this side of the border, but that it’s likely we’ll get at least a few. We’d put our money on 3.5
Origin: BMW welcomes the M5 into mid-life with the M5 Edition 35 Years
BMW launches limited-run M5 Edition 35 Years
BMW will celebrate 35 years of its M5 super saloon with a limited-run reworking of the 616bhp M5 Competition. The BMW M5 Edition 35 years features the same tuned version of the 4.4-litre V8 twin turbo engine as the M5 Competition, which produces 553lb ft of torque and can achieve 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 155mph. The all-wheel-drive model also features the lowered and stiffened suspension from the M5 Competition, along with ball-joined rear suspension mountings and upgraded front anti-roll bars. The 350 examples of the M5 Edition 35 Years that will be produced feature a number of design changes, including a new metallic grey paint, and new 20-inch alloy wheels. The brake calipers are finished in high-gloss black, while the calipers on the optional M carbon ceramic brakes are available in a golf finish. The interior features a number of trim finishers made from aluminium carbon structure gold in the door trim, instrument panel and centre console. The door sills and cupholder covers feature M5 Edition 35 engravings. The M5 Edition 35 Years will go on sale in July. No pricing details have been revealed, but it is likely to be above the £96,205 of the standard M5 Competition. The first M5, which featured an in-line six-cylinder engine taken from the mid-engined M1, was launched in late
Origin: BMW launches limited-run M5 Edition 35 Years
Glorious Disintegration artwork commemorates 10 years of Audi V10
Fabian Oefner is at it again, blowing up perfectly good vehicles to provide us with beautiful pieces of artwork for his Disintegration series. This time, a second-generation R8 V10 gets the inside-out treatment. The art was done for Audi’s limited edition variant of the R8 that celebrates 10 years of the vehicle’s V10 engine called the R8 V10 Decennium. The R8 first debuted with a V8 only in 2006, but in 2009 it introduced the 5.2-litre V10, which produced 525 horsepower and revved to a ridiculous 8,700 rpm. The Decennium will up the game with 611 horsepower and 417 lb.-ft. of torque. Oefner produces the artwork by photographing each individual part of the vehicle using a Hasselblad medium-format digital camera (drool!) and then positioning them afterward using digital software to give the exploded look. Oefner has done a few works like this, including a Lamborghini Miura and a Porsche 956 Le Mans Prototype, but while the Porsche was made using a model, the Miura and Audi were done by actually taking pictures of each component from a real car. Audi is only going to build 222 of their special edition R8 V10 Decennium supercars, but there is no limit for the poster. If you want your own exploding Audi in your living room with minimal damage to the drywall, you can pick up a print from Audi’s website for US$24.95, if you want the Audi R8 V10 Decennium, that’s going to set you back a hefty
Origin: Glorious Disintegration artwork commemorates 10 years of Audi V10
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