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BMW broadens engine bolt recall to nearly half-million cars worldwide

Almost one month ago, we reported on a BMW investigation into a potentially defective bolt that lived in the company's VANOS variable valve timing system. At that point, the potential recall was seemingly limited to Chinese-market cars; the company was filing a recall application with Chinese officials.
Today, Bloomberg is reporting that the engine bolt issue has expanded into a recall for several world markets, involving some 489,000 vehicles. BMW was able to verify that report to Autoblog, while also providing a great deal more detail about the issue and vehicles affected.
The recall affects vehicles powered by N55 inline six-cylinder gasoline engines equipped with VANOS and Valvetronic technologies. 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series and 5 Series Gran Turismo, X3, X5, X6 and Z4 models from the 2010 to 2012 model years are included, as is the 2012 6 Series.

BMW, VW partner with ChargePoint for high-speed charging network

To promote their plug-in electric vehicles, a number of electric vehicle makers are working overtime to get a charging infrastructure set up. Tesla is famously setting up a network of Superchargers around the world, and today BMW and VW have announced they are partnering with ChargePoint to install almost 100 DC Fast Chargers up and down the US coasts. Installing additional Level 2 chargers is also part of the plan. The new DC Fast Chargers will offer the SAE Combo connectors, which is available on both the e-Golf and the i3. The fast chargers will have "up to two 50 kW DC Fast chargers, or 24 kW DC Combo Fast chargers," BMW says. They will be installed roughly 50 miles apart between Boston and Washington, DC in the east as well as Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego in the west. The 24-kW DC Fast Chargers will fill up an empty i3 or e-Golf to 80 percent in a half-hour or 3.5-4 hours from the Level 2 cords. Speaking at an announcement ceremony at the Washington Auto Show today, ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano said that infrastructure investments like this will get more people to realize that they can use an electric vehicle as their only car, and Jorg Sommer, VP of product marketing and strategy for VW North America, said that it's clear that, "The EV is perfect for the daily driver." BMW, Volkswagen and ChargePoint Join Forces to Create Electric Vehicle Express Charging Corridors on the East and West Coasts. · A goal of nearly 100 DC Fast charging ports will be installed to support long distance and metropolitan electric vehicle travel with the BMW i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and other electric cars, along heavily trafficked corridors on both coasts, supported by Level 2 chargers. · These publicly available charging stations will be added to the existing ChargePoint network and can be easily accessed using a ChargePoint® or ChargeNow card. Washington, D.C., January 22, 2015 – At the 2015 Washington Auto Show, two of the top automakers, BMW of North America and Volkswagen of America, together with ChargePoint, the largest electric vehicle charging network, announced an initiative to create express charging corridors along heavily-traveled routes on the East and West Coasts.

BMW reveals updated 2016 Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe

Do you dig the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, but really wanted one with all-wheel drive? We can hardly blame you, considering how well it held up against the Nissan GT-R and Bentley Continental GT in the Australian Outback on a recent episode of Top Gear, despite the disadvantage on driven-wheel count. But that, you see, is where Alpina comes in. The "other M division" offers the a twin-turbo 6 Series Gran Coupe with four-wheel traction – even here in the US – and it's just been upgraded. The 2016 BMW Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe packs a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, just like the M6. But whereas the previous B6 packed less power than its factory counterpart, the new one surpasses it. Thanks to a boost by 60 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque, the B6 now cranks out 600 hp and 590 lb-ft – which rather impressively bests the M6 by 40 hp and 90 lb-ft. Plus it's driven to all four wheels. The manufacturer says that's good for a tenth of a second off the 0-60 time, now quoted at 3.6 seconds, with a top speed pegged at 200 miles per hour, making this the fastest Alpina ever offered. The 2016 B6 also benefits from new headlamps, upgraded brakes and reshaped aerodynamic elements, but it's mostly the power boost that makes this the quickest Alpina off the line in the company's history. Related Video: THE NEW BMW ALPINA B6 XDRIVE GRAN COUPE Enhancements for 2016 model year deliver more power and refinement than ever. Woodcliff Lake, N.J. –February 11, 2015... The new 2016 model year BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe gains subtle BMW enhancements and benefits in particular from the results of continuous development by ALPINA. The four-door Gran Coupe, already widely recognized for aesthetic beauty and impressive driving performance, raises the benchmark with exciting new details. The new BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe will become available to order starting in March 2015, with US deliveries slated to begin at BMW Centers in June. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date. The BMW ALPINA B6 xDrive Gran Coupe is available as a special-order vehicle with capacity-limited production underscoring its exclusivity. The B6's body is manufactured in the BMW 6 Series factory (Plant Dingolfing) and hand-finished with the remaining ALPINA components at the ALPINA factory in Buchloe, Germany. The hand-finishing sequence at ALPINA increases the production lead-time by approximately two weeks.