Showing posts with label BMW Concepts. Show all posts

Listen to the Sounds of BMW's New 1.5-liter Twin-Turbo 3-Cylinder Gasoline Engine on a 1-Series

We have heard the claims repeatedly from BMW's people ever since they announced the development of their brand new series of 1.5-liter TwinPower three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines: these new powerplants will be strong, fuel-efficient and equally important, sound the part.

At the recent Paris Motor Show, BMW sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson told reporters that the new three-cylinder engine “behaves like a six-cylinder, is half-of a six-cylinder and has the noise of a six-cylinder”.

Want more? Here is another quote from BMW regarding the gasoline version of the 1.5-liter twin-turbocharged unit that will be offered in outputs ranging from 120Hp to 220Hp:

At the same time the new X1 compact crossover begins to arrive in U.S. showrooms, BMW announced the development of two special variants named the Concept K2 Power Ride and X1 Power Ride Edition, both of which will receive their world premiere at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show at the end of November.

The X1-based Concept K2 Powder Ride was created by BMW in collaboration with winter sport equipment supplier K2 in celebration of their partnership that began in 2009. It blends bespoke exterior and interior features with an exclusive roof structure.

If things stayed the same, we would probably still be living in caves – or even worse. Change is inevitable and this stands for car manufacturers, too.

BMW apparently thinks the same way; that’s why the Active Tourer Concept that premiered at the Paris Auto Show toady breaks with the Bavarian carmaker’s tradition by offering front-wheel drive.

The automaker claims that its latest study “offers an initial insight into innovations for the premium compact segment… in terms of both the interior and the drive concept.”

These first official images of BMW's new Active Tourer Concept confirm our suspicions that the photo sourced from the cover of the next issue of Auto Bild magazine that we shared with you earlier today, did indeed show the real thing.

To answer the first question you are most likely to have about the Paris Motor Show-bound Active Tourer study, yes, it is intended for production - likely as a 1-Series model with the Gran Turismo moniker that is used by BMW on its more practical vehicles. One of its more direct rivals will be the Mercedes-Benz B-Class small MPV.

But that's not what makes the Active Tourer Concept really special, what does is its platform that will be shared with the next generation of Mini-branded cars and BMW's decision to break with tradition and enter the realm of front-wheel drive models.

You can never be sure with magazine images of future models floating around the internet, but there's something real about this photo of what is described as the BMW Active Sports Tourer Concept and which is sourced from the cover of the next issue of Auto Bild that's due to come out on Friday, September 14.

The German magazine itself has issued a teaser of the upcoming issued but has darkened the car (see image below).

The vehicle pictured here is evidently a concept with the only fake feature we could find being the license plate – a common practice among car magazines in Europe to make readers think that the concept is a production model.

If real, the Active Sports Tourer Concept should be a thinly disguised version of the upcoming BMW 1-Series tall hatchback that may or may not sport the Gran Turismo nameplate when it enters production next year.

One of the most impressive cars to bow at the recent 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California was the second concept model to come from BMW's partnership with Zagato.

You have likely already seen the pictures of the BMW Zagato Roadster, but YouTube user "BrianZuk" captured the open-top model on film at the famed California show.

After the positive reaction the Z4-based Zagato Coupe concept received at the Concorso d’Elleganza Villa d’Este in Italy earlier this year, BMW chief designer Adrian van Hooydonk and Andrea Zagato decided to collaborate again and produce yet another concept, this time for the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

The fruit of this collaboration, which appeared in an obscure teaser image a couple of days ago, is a roadster version of the Zagato Coupe that we saw in Italy. One may assume that BMW and Zagato have simply taken that car and chopped off the roof (which would be ironic, since the Z4 is a roadster), but this is not the case.

The BMW Zagato Roadster, which was constructed in just six weeks, certainly looks a lot like its fixed-roof sibling.

But that's not a bad thing as the aggressive, “three dimensional” (in Zagato talk) front end with the large air intakes, contoured hood with integral air scoops, the black A-pillars, the sculpted sides and the overall solid stance and minimal overhangs of the concept make for a muscular look.

After breaking the news on the latest collaboration between BMW and Zagato earlier today, we now have the first official image of the concept model that will make its world premiere at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours in California this weekend.

While we continue to be short on details, the darkened photo leaves few doubts about the type of model BMW and Zagato have prepared.

Only a few months after BMW and Zagato premiered their conceptual version of a stylish Z4 Coupe at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza in Italy this past May, the two companies are joining forces once again and plan to debut a second design study at this week's 2012 Pebble Beach Concours in California.

Unfortunately, there's no teaser image of the new concept (what you see above is a shot from the previous BMW Zagato Z4) while BMW isn't willing to release any details about the car just yet.

While there's strong evidence that the next coupe and convertible versions of the 3-Series will change names and wear the 4-Series moniker, BMW will enhance the range of its most popular model with a brand new body style that we will come to know as the Gran Turismo or GT for short. Read more »

All You Want to Know About the BMW M Z3 V12 Prototype

After breaking the photo story on the BMW M division's one-off, V12-powered Z3 prototype earlier this week, we can now share with you some interesting details surrounding its creation, though as you will soon find out, we may need the help of our German speaking readers.

We'll get straight to the point and let you know what Matthew Russell, Product and Technology Communications Manager for BMW North America, told Carscoop about the Z3 M V12 after he did some digging of his own:

"The car was built in 1999 and was the proof that all engine sizes of the time fit in the roadster," said Russell. "It was shown only once: in August 1999 to the German car magazine Autozeitung."

As we rightly assumed, the ultimate M model of the Z3 roadster series borrowed BMW's M73 5.4-liter V12 engine from the E38 750i/iL sedans and E38 850Ci coupe of the mid-1990s to early 2000s.

According to the grapevine, or to be more precise, Autoweek magazine, BMW will lift the covers off a new M3 Sedan concept at the 2013 Geneva Salon next March, much like it did with the current M3 Coupe that was shown as a pre-production study at the 2007 edition of the Swiss motor show.

If this holds true, then the Bavarians will likely present the final production model later in the same year – possibly at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show – and put it up for sale by spring of 2014 for Europe and later in the year for the rest of the world.

Over the years, BMW and its various subsidiaries and sub-brands such as the BMW Technik GmbH (currently known as BMW Forschung und Technik, or Research and Technology) and M GmbH, have quietly developed an array of prototype models that never saw the light of day when new, but which are gradually coming out of hiding.

Among the many secret development prototypes that have been released to the public eyes are the M8 Coupe, 850Ci Convertible, E30 M3 Pickup Truck, E36 M3 Compact, E46 M3 Touring, E34 M5 Two-Door Cabriolet, Z1 Coupe and Z18 Buggy - just to mention a few.

Not to be outshone by the BMW car brand and its upcoming "i" series of pure-electric models, BMW Motorrad, which is the German company's motorcycle division, is also gearing up for the presentation of its first zero emissions model.

Following the original E-Scooter concept at the BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011 and the Concept e at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has now introduced a near-production prototype of the electric scooter named the C Evolution.

The electric-powered scooter was presented in the U.K. capital today with BMW to allow selected London Olympics visitors to drive the prototypes during the games.

The C Evolution features a hybrid composite structure upon which it fits an electric motor producing a continuous output of 11kW (15hp) and a peak output of 35kW (47hp) allowing for an electronically limited top speed of 120km/h (75mph).

A blast from the past and the most recent concept study to wear the blue and white roundel will highlight BMW's presence at The Legends of the Autobahn 2012, which takes place on Friday, August 17, at the Rancho Canada Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California.

The fourth annual all-German brand Concours, which is hosted by the BMW Car Club of America, Mercedes-Benz Club of America, the Porsche Club of America and the Audi Club of North America, will play host to the North American premiere of the BMW M8 prototype and the Z4 Zagato Coupe.

The M8 Coupe project was never displayed at a show and many believed it had been destroyed until the Bavarian automaker opened the gates of its M-brand's vault in 2009 revealing it along with other gems such as the E34 M5 Cabriolet and E36 M3 Compact.

It’s always refreshing to see independent artists follow a different path from the one upheld by an automaker, regardless of whether your taste buds agree or not.

The BMW XS Concept seen in these renderings is the work of George Manolache, a self-taught 2D/3D artist and graphic designer from Romania.

siesta passionevera

Listen to the Sounds of BMW's New 1.5-liter Twin-Turbo 3-Cylinder Gasoline Engine on a 1-Series

BMW X1 Concept K2 Power Ride and X1 Power Ride Special Edition to Debut at LA Auto Show

BMW’s Hybrid Active Tourer Concept is a 1-Series GT in Disguise

New BMW Active Tourer Concept Previews the FWD 1-Series Gran Turismo [84 Photos & Videos]

Is This Image of the BMW Active Sports Tourer Concept, aka the FWD 1-Series GT Real?

BMW Zagato Roadster Concept Burbles Along the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Road

BMW and Zagato Get Together Again to Create a Striking Roadster Concept

First Official Photo Teaser of New BMW Zagato Roadster Concept

A Second, All-New BMW Zagato Concept to Debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

New BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo Said to Debut in Concept Form at Paris Motor Show

All You Want to Know About the BMW M Z3 V12 Prototype

BMW Rumored to Debut M3 Sedan Concept at the 2013 Geneva Show, Allegedly Won't Offer a Manual

BMW M Unearths Mighty Z3 V12 Prototype

BMW Presents New C Evolution Electric Scooter Prototype at London Olympics [w/Video]

BMW Bringing M8 Prototype and Zagato Coupe Study to The Legends of the Autobahn

BMW XS is a Design Study for Modern Crossover with a Hint of Retro

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