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Will BMW-Designed Bobsled Give Team USA An Edge At The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics? [UPDATE]

When we first reported on BMW's plans to develop a new bobsled for Team USA, the 2014 Winter Olympics were over two years away. Now the games are upon us and BMW's high-tech, carbon fiber sled is ready for competition in Sochi. When we first reported on BMW's plans to develop a new bobsled for Team USA, the 2014 Winter Olympics were over two years away. Now the games are upon us and BMW's high-tech, carbon fiber sled is ready for competition in Sochi. According to the automaker, BMW designers redeveloped the two-man bobsled from the ground up to replace a 20-year-old platform that has failed to produce Olympic gold. "BMW's process reevaluated the complete vehicle system: cowling aerodynamics and construction, chassis and steering geometries, athlete fitment and integration were all critical focal points," the automaker said in a statement. "Computer aided modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), full size wind tunnel testing, on track testing, and athlete scannings were all tools in BMW's development approach." The United States has not won a gold medal in two-man bobsled since 1936. Only time will tell if BMW's contributions will give Team USA an edge at this year's Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. You can watch BMW's Team USA bobsled in action in the video above. UPDATE: Team USA bobsledders Steven Holcomb and Steven Langton won the bronze medal in two-man bobsled, snapping a 62-year medal drought in the event. MORE: American Steven Holcomb and Steve Langton take bronze, winning first two-man medal by a US sled since 1952. http://t.co/3lgynFj7z0 - AP Sports (@AP_Sports) February 17, 2014 BMW Translogic Videos bobsled

BMW 2 Series Convertible goes for a drive in the cold

The BMW 2 Series is the car that will eventually replace the 1 Series here in the United States (remember: the 1 Series moniker will live on to describe the hatchback models in other markets), and while we've seen the new coupe out on the prowl, we're now seeing the droptop version out on the road. We don't have much information about the new 2er models, only that they are expected to bow sometime in 2014.
Dimensionally, the new 2 Series convertible looks very similar in size to its outgoing 1 Series kin, with things like the roofline and roof shape looking nearly identical. Of course, reworked front and rear fascias are immediately noticeable, and judging by what little we can see, it appears as though the small BMW will take many of its design cues from the larger 3 Series rather than the oft-awkward-looking 1 Series hatch that's currently available in Europe.
Assuming things are still on track for 2014, we won't rule out a possible debut in Geneva, though the Frankfurt expo in September makes even more sense.

Mercedes chief invites Audi, BMW to compete in F1

Mercedes-Benz didn't just win the Formula One World Championship in 2014 – it positively dominated it. The team won all but three of the grands prix this season, scoring a one-two finish at more than half of them and landing at least one car on the podium at every race without exception. It goes without saying, then, that the German automaker thrives on competition, but now it's welcoming even more. Speaking with Germany's Sport Bild at its homecoming celebration in Stuttgart, Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche welcomed Mercedes' biggest rivals Audi and BMW to join it on the F1 grid. Noting that the three German brands share some 80 percent of the market for luxury automobiles, Zetsche said that F1 would make a natural arena of competition for Mercedes, Audi and BMW to fight for top bragging rights. The three currently compete against each other in front of home audiences in the DTM touring car series – effectively Germany's equivalent to NASCAR – but of the ten races held this year, the majority were in Germany itself, and all of them took place in Europe. BMW last competed in F1 when it bought the Sauber team in 2006, but withdrew from the series in 2009. Despite its progenitor Auto Union having fielded the famous Silver Arrows in pre-war grand prix racing, Audi has never been a player in modern F1 racing, though recent rumors have linked it to a potential foray – spurred by the arrival of sister-company Porsche on its home turf at Le Mans, the departure of several of its key endurance drivers and the hiring of former Scuderia Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali. Porsche had similarly considered an F1 program before getting the go-ahead to compete with Audi at Le Mans. As for the prospect of Mercedes competing in other international racing series, Zetsche added that year-long preparations for 24 hours of racing at Le Mans didn't present a good cost-benefit ratio in his estimation, but that Formula E (where Audi currently supports a quasi-works entry) would be worth a closer look.