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2015 BMW X4

BMW has been in the line-blurring business of late, with the original X5 "Sports Activity Vehicle" muddling the line between SUVs and sport sedans in 1999, the 5 Series Gran Turismo challenging what our definition of "Gran Turismo" means in 2009, and pretty, low-roofed four-doors like the 6 Series Gran Coupe and the fresh new 4 Series Gran Coupe broadening the meaning of the word "coupe."
In the midst of all of this, BMW blurred the lines around both the SUV and coupe genres with its big, heavy, and in many ways ridiculous X5-based "Sports Activity Coupe" (cue collective eye-roll), dubbed X6. Auto wags scoffed at its lack of utility, compromised outward visibility and added cost, but a more emotional public was apparently smitten enough by its aggressive looks to avail itself of some 250,000 of them worldwide in six model years on sale.
Enter the all-new 2015 X4 crossover - err, "Sports Activity Coupe" - which BMW hopes will perform as well in the compact category as the X6 has on the next rung up the ladder. Like the X6, the X4 is a tough sell on paper: it's more expensive and less practical than the X3 on which it's based; it's heavier, despite the loss of interior space; and it doesn't even hold as much stuff in the back as the 3 Series wagon. As with the X6, the X4 is essentially a high-riding style statement that, like proper coupes (the two-door kind), says to the world, "You fools can take your need for practicality and shove it. I just want to look good."

BMW i3 called 'most revolutionary car' since Ford Model T

The Ultimate Driving Machine, or at least one of them, may also be the Ultimate Engineering Success. Consultant Munro & Associates, which specializes in automotive tear-down analysis, pretty much said as much when taking an under-the-skin look at the BMW i3 plug-in. In short, the firm liked what it saw. Presenting at Detroit's Plastic's in Automotive conference this week, Munro CEO Sandy Munro called BMW's first mast-produced plug-in model the most revolutionary car "since Henry Ford's Model T." The car earned big points for its substantial uses of materials that are both lightweight (key for any plug-in's range) and recyclable. BMW has touted these advantages all along. In late 2013, the German automaker went as far as saying its use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) would reduce customer costs related to both repair and insurance. The i3 went on sale in the US last May and, by the end of the year, moved more than 6,000 units here. It sold almost 17,800 The i3 last November also was named the Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, beating out models such as the compressed-natural-gas-powered Chevrolet Impala B-Fuel and the Audi A3 TDI diesel. Munro made news earlier this week when it offered a free i3 for anyone who bought the master- or OEM-level version of the report, though the report isn't cheap and that offered disappeared once Munro made his presentation. Check out Munro & Associates' press release below. Munro Discusses Groundbreaking Technology Finds from BMW i3 Teardown at Plastics in Automotive Conference; Offers New BMW i3 for Purchasers of Master-level Report DETROIT, Jan. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- During today's Plastics in Automotive Conference in Detroit, Sandy Munro, CEO of Munro & Associates, Inc., discussed – for the first time publicly – his consulting firm's findings from its extensive deep-dive teardown, costing and benchmark study of the BMW i3 urban electric car. During his presentation, "Deconstructing the BMW i3: Groundbreaking Technology and the Composite Car," Munro discussed the carbon fiber life module, polymer components, recyclability and safety of what he considers to be "the most revolutionary car in terms of creative engineering and manufacturing since Henry Ford's Model T." During the presentation, Munro focused on four crucial aspects of the BMW i3: the manufacturing of its carbon fiber life module; its polymer components; recyclability; and safety.

Finalists for 2014 Green Car of the Year announced

The list of finalists for the 2014 Green Car of the Year has been announced, and in a genuinely bizarre twist, there's only one hybrid and no electric vehicles among the five contestants, despite the arrival of cars like the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S. Taking the place of the EVs are a pair of diesels, repping a technology that last won a Green Car of the Year award in 2009, when the Audi A3 TDI took the title. No diesel was in the running for last year's award.
Naturally, both of the diesel finalists are fielded by the Germans - with BMW's 328d and Audi's A6 TDI getting the nod. In the case of the 3 Series, BMW installed a 2.0-liter, turbodiesel, capable of delivering 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while returning 45 miles per gallon on the highway. Audi and its larger, 3.0-liter, V6 turbodiesel produce quite a bit more grunt, with 240 hp and 428 lb-ft of grunt, but net a very impressive 38 mpg on the highway in the A6.
Finalists for this year's awards include two diesels, three gas-powered cars and a plug-in hybrid.