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A BMW i3 will cost you $100,000 in Brazil

Brazil is a long way from the US, and the price of the BMW i3 in that South American country is even further away from what Americans pay for the same electric vehicle. But that hasn't stopped a few wealthy Brazilians from taking the plunge. The BMW i3 REx – i.e., the one with the gas-powered range-extender – is the first mass-produced vehicle of its kind to be imported to Brazil (there are a few Nissan Leaf vehicles in fleet use), and those intrepid buyers are forking over about $100,000 to own the vehicle, according to Just-Auto. The country's first 100 i3's were recently received in Sao Paolo, and about 30 of them have been sold. That pricetag is a wee bit higher than in the US, where the i3 starts under $42,000. BMW did open a $261-million factory in Brazil this year, but the i3 continues to be produced exclusively in Germany. It's not just fancy new plug-in cars and World Cup tickets that cost a lot in Brazil. The Volkswagen Golf, which retails for less than $18,000 in the States, costs about $23,000 in Brazil and the Economist ran a series of articles last year explaining how currency changes have resulted in the dollar-to-Brazilian real exchange rate surging in recent years.

Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

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