BMW X7 With V12 Engine

A new report from Spain brings new information about BMW’s upcoming X7 seven-seat SUV, expected to launch in late 2017 or early 2018. Motor.es claims to have exclusive information about the behemoth SUV, which will be available with 6-, 8- and even 12-cylinder engines. 

Known internally as the G07, the BMW X7 will share underpinnings with the upcoming Rolls-Royce SUV, with development work on both models said to have begun two years ago. 

The BMW X7 will be a direct competitor for the Range Rover, which may explain why the report advances a €130,000 starting price. 

If this is not a mistake, it means the X7 will feature some very expensive technology. Or maybe it’s because the BMW X7 will be the most luxurious model of the brand, even more luxurious than a 7-Series.

BMW is said to be planning an average annual production of 45,000 units at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. As for the X7’s design, a pre-production concept vehicle may solve the mystery next month at the Shanghai Auto Show.

Expected to feature the suspension and running gear of the new X5 and X6, the BMW X7 will obviously be offered with all-wheel drive versions, but the automaker may also launch a rear-wheel drive version. As for engine options, they will include a range of TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder and V8 gasoline and diesel units, including a hybrid plug-in version. 

The range-topping model will be a V12 though, marking the first time a model from the X family will get a 12-cylinder engine.

Renderings courtesy of Theophilus Chin

Read More

All-New BMW Z4

BMW expects to launch a follow-up to the Z4 roadster before the end of the decade, as part of a collaboration with Toyota.

BMW’s chief engineer says development costs could be shared with the Japanese automaker as part of the companies’ cooperation, which besides the common sports car architecture includes collaboration on powertrain electrification and sharing lightweight technologies.

“I would like to see a Z4 successor in this decade,” Klaus Froehlich, BMW’s new head of R&D, told AutoNews Europe when asked about the launch date of the all-new Z4. But the priority for BMW is to find a cost-effective way to update the car, as demand for two-seat roadsters and coupes has dropped worldwide. “If you look at the volume … we have to realize that these segments are shrinking,” the executive explained.

BMW Z4 sales fell 11 percent to about 5,300 units in Europe last year, while US deliveries declined by 13 percent to 2,150 cars. The biggest single markets for the Z4’s segment are the US, UK and Germany.

On top of that, two-seat roadsters are not popular in the world’s largest market. “Car buyers in China are not interested in roadsters,” said Froehlich. That’s because customers there favor privacy, something an open top car doesn’t provide. Additionally, poor air quality in many major Chinese cities makes roadsters an unlikely choice.

As a consequence, BMW is more preoccupied with other upcoming launches than with the Z4’s successor. 

Read More

2015 BMW i8 (photo)

BMW USA has announced the full pricing breakdown of the brand’s most anticipated new model, the i8 sports car. The company previously announced a base price of $135,700 (£79,000; €99,000). Destination and Handling is an additional $950 (£550; €695), for a grand total of $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000).

The blue roundel will offer the i8 in three “worlds,” which are trim levels above the base model. Similar to i3 lines, the names of these packages are “Giga World,” “Tera World,” and “Pure Impulse World.” If BMW believes it is being cool by being strange, BMW is mistaken.

The worlds each include a headlight upgrade to BMW’s cornering, LED units, and primarily alter trim. Whether selecting the base model or one of these packages, customers can select 20” W spoke wheels or 20” turbine wheels at no cost. The cheapest trim is the $2000 (£1165; €1465) Giga World. It offers a perforated leather interior in white or black.

The next level up is the $3000 (£1750; €2200) Tera World. It features blue seatbelts and offers a brown leather and cloth interior.

Finally, for the grandest experience possible, there is the $10,800 (£6290; €7900) Pure Impulse World. What do you get for that $7800 (£4545; €5710) premium? The same blue seatbelts, a spice gray leather interior, and an anthracite headliner. That’s right – BMW is charging almost $8000 (£4660; €5860) for essentially an anthracite roof. That is the craziest thing about this pricing strategy (besides the names, of course). Fitted with Pure Impulse World, a white i8 can reach its price ceiling of $149,250 (£86,970; €109,290).

The only standalone option is to have the car with Crystal White Pearl Metallic paint, which costs $1800 (£1050; €1320). All other paint choices (a whopping three – silver, gray, blue) are no-cost options. The i8 also features a tremendous amount of standard equipment. Heated, electric seats; auto dimming mirrors; Park Distance Control; ambient lighting; Active Driving Assistant; a Harmon/Kardon stereo; a concierge service; and the full suite of BMW apps. All of these are standard, which means that for some, spending the base $136,650 (£80,000; €100,000) will be enough.

The BMW i8 may be a complex plug-in hybrid, but it is also a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S competitor. Though the 911 starts at $105,630 (£61,550; €77,350), the as-tested price can spin out of control when fitted with all of the i8’s standard equipment. With the i8, BMW has taken the technology to outer space while bringing prices back to Earth.

It’s not cheap. But it’s also not priced like a Porsche.

By Nico Grant

Read More

BMW 328 Hommage Concept

To give the car a more retro look while keeping its futuristic feel, BMW’s designers took certain elements of the original 328 adapted them to their new roadster study. These include the slim and dare we say, much missed from BMW fans, vertically positioned double kidney grille, the leather straps across the bonnet, the styling of the wheels, and the double windscreen with a recess in the middle. The doors were also removed to imitate the styling of the 328.

In keeping with the original roadster’s lightweight philosophy, most major parts of the exterior and interior of the 328 Hommage are made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), which BMW says is lighter but also more stable than aluminum.

The two seater interior has far fewer retro touches than the exterior with BMW’s designers going for a minimalistic look. The materials used inside include carbon fiber, leather and aluminum, all of which are purposely visible.

The concept model is powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six engine, but that’s all the technical specifications we get about the car from BMW.

Read More