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BMW to launch loaner program to avoid range anxiety on i models

BMW is looking to stave off electric vehicle range anxiety with a new program that offers buyers a free gasoline loaner with every i3 purchase. Ward's Auto reports BMW is confident that the EV will give buyers the kind of transportation they need for 90 percent of their trips. The loaners, meanwhile, will be available for those few occasions when drivers need to cover more ground than the machine's batteries will allow. The i3 gets around with help from a 180-horsepower electric motor paired with a lithium-ion battery pack.
The combo is good for trips of between 80 and 100 miles depending on driving habits and weather conditions, though BMW also plans to offer a model with a small two-cylinder range-extending gasoline engine as well. That option will likely set you back an additional $4,000. When the machine bows in 2014, it will likely come with a charge time of four to six hours when suckling from a 220-volt outlet.
As far as the conventionally powered loaner car goes, the cost of the program is included in the i3's purchase price, though BMW has yet to figure out how many free loans will be offered, or what happens after that threshold is reached.

Mini might build a sedan because it's running out of shapes

Rumors suggest we could soon see a Mini with a trunk to haul your junk. Autocar cites unnamed insiders who claim the sedan is part of the brand's plan for upmarket growth. There's even a possibility the new model could use the Riley moniker in reference to the Elf (pictured above) from the 1960s, which was a Mini with a tiny trunk. The Mini sedan would use BMW's front-wheel-drive platform that underpins the X1 and Clubman and might share the wheelbase and frontend styling with the Clubman as well, according to Autocar. Mini's execs think the four-door would perform especially well in North America and China, where there's less demand for hatchbacks. Ralph Mahler, vice president of Mini's product management, hinted at the possibility of the four-door to Autocar. "For example, in Asia and the US, the sedan segment is very big. This is very interesting to us, of course," he said. Mahler admits that many people don't know about the Mini-based vehicles with trunks from the '60s, like the Riley Elf, so it would be hard to market the new model on that heritage. This could be the perfect time to add a Mini sedan to the lineup, and it might not be a completely new idea for the brand under its BMW stewardship; a rumor from 2012 shows that Mini's bosses considered a four-door at least once before. The company launched new versions of its Hardtop, Convertible, and Clubman, and even added four-door and all-wheel-drive versions of the Hardtop to further blur the lines between that car, the Clubman, and the Countryman. The next-generation Countryman crossover should debut later this year, and the brand reportedly cancelled the Superleggera Vision roadster and Rocketman compact, as Mini has chosen to go big with its new models and its lineup breadth. There are only so many versions of a hatchback a company can make, and the short-lived Mini Coupe wasn't exactly a huge success. If Mini is going to try a new body style, a sedan actually makes some sense, even if we'll probably prefer the look and practicality of the hatches. Related Video:

BMW factors big in Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Product placement is big business, especially for automakers and especially in blockbuster action film franchises involving spies and assassins. Just ask Aston Martin or Jaguar Land Rover about their involvement in the James Bond movies, or Audi about the role it plays in the Transporter series. But when it comes to Mission: Impossible, it's all about the Bimmers. BMW has been featuring prominently in the popular action franchise, putting its i8 hybrid sports car front and center in the last installment, Ghost Protocol. And it will grab the spotlight once again in the upcoming Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. Watch this latest trailer just released by Paramount Pictures and you might be able to pick out the M3 driven by Tom Cruise, the X5 by Jeremy Renner and the S 1000 RR motorcycles ridden by a whole crew of bad guys. Wheels aside, it's our best look yet at the upcoming fifth installment in the popular movie franchise, so if you're a fan, you'll want to check it out as the movie's not set to be released until the end of July. High-speed, high-tech, high excitement 24.03.2015 Munich/Los Angeles. BMW confirmed today its role as exclusive worldwide automotive partner of the next installment of Paramount Pictures' legendary action film franchise, "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation", in theaters from July 31. This is the second time BMW has "accepted the mission" to lend its superior technological support to the film's production crew, enabling it to deliver breathtaking automotive stunt scenes shot around the globe. BMW previously partnered with Paramount on the 2011 successful release of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". The film's official trailer, released worldwide yesterday, offers fans a first glimpse of the high-adrenaline action that only Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team can deliver – including spectacular driving scenes where the new BMW M3 is put through its paces. Its renowned high-performance capabilities made the fifth generation M3 sports car the perfect choice to perform precision driving sequences, the likes of which have never been seen before. The M division's philosophy and dynamic design leaves no doubt about the M3's motorsport genes while the BMW Motorrad S 1000 RR, which is also seen in the film trailer released yesterday, represents the ultimate performance on two wheels.