2004 Bmw 530i Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l, One Owner on 2040-cars

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BMW i5 could be a new kind of i PHEV

Just this month BMW North America CEO Ludwig Willisch made a point of saying "Not any time soon" to AutoblogGreen's question about the arrival of a BMW i5 - and that came after he clarified, in case we didn't know it, that no such model exists. But the rumors of its eventual appearance were swelled again by a report in Autobild that sticks more details and numbers on what could be the next offering in for the i brand. In February, Car magazine laid the i5 out as having a 245-horsepower four-cylinder engine in front, assisted by a 204-hp e-motor in the bow and a 90-hp e-motor in the stern, for about 544 total horsepower. Autobild claims the gas engine will have 218 hp, the front e-motor will have 150 hp and the rear will have 272 hp, for roughly 640 total horsepower. Where the two reports agree is that it - maybe called i5, maybe i7 - will be based on the China-market long-wheelbase 5 Series platform, it will incorporate cues from both the 7 Series and 6 Series Gran Coupe, and it will not be cheap: 100,000 euros ($105,686 US) is the estimate. The i8 starts at 130,000 euros in Germany. Weight for the i5 is figured to be around 3,300 pounds. Green Car Reports says what's important about the i5's drivetrain is that it's being maximized for electric running. Its evolution of the company's eDrive mechanicals will crank the ICE over only above 36 miles per hour, and even then, only in cases of "maximum power demand." Electric-only driving would offer a range of 78 miles, company officials suggesting that it could remain in that mode for "fully two-thirds of its usage cycle." Whenever a vehicle like this arrives, that is, which Autobild says could be in 2019.

BMW ready to bring more i3, i8 plug-ins to US

BMW has found a receptive audience for its first batches of plug-in vehicles in the good 'ole USA. The German automaker, which started selling its first mass-produced i plug-ins in Europe late last year, will send a higher percentage of those vehicles to the US because of strong demand here, according to Automotive News, which talked with BMW executive Ian Robertson. And the Americans might cause Bimmer to speed up production, to boot. BMW makes the i3 electric vehicle and i8 plug-in hybrid in Germany, and has sold about 10,000 units of the former and 280 of the latter worldwide. Since August, BMW has been selling about 1,000 i3s a month in the US (it sold just 58 i8s in September). The bigger story, though, may be that Bimmer has sold out of its US allocation of i8s through the end of next year. Pretty heady stuff for a car that starts at around $137,000. Currently, BMW builds around 100 i-series vehicles a day in Germany, and may speed up production of the i8 for the aforementioned reason. As for the i3, which comes with an option of a gas-powered range extender, we'd reported earlier this year that the waitlist for that model had grown to about six months. Our i3 First Drive report is here if you'd like to know what all the fuss is about.

Europe's BMW 1 Series hatch caught looking fresh faced

Hey, remember the BMW 1 Series? Yes, German brand's successors to the US-market coupe and convertible have one-upped the old car to wear the 2 Series designation now, but in other markets, our No. 1 crush still lives on, and as evidenced in these spy shots, the entry-level hatch appears to be undergoing a modest facelift.
We've spotted prototypes of the refreshed 1 Series before, with the majority of the car's changes focused around the front fascia. This time around, we're seeing the three-door variant, with wheels seemingly fitting of a Sport or even M Sport trim.
Of course, this One's not for US, as the small BMW isn't slated to come to our market anytime soon. Click through the gallery above to see what we're missing.