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Watch two championship-winning DTM cars from BMW go head-to-head

BMW recently had a little fun with two of the company's past DTM champions. Roberto Ravaglia and Bruno Spengler, winners of the 1989 and 2012 championships, respectively, both showed up at the world-famous Hockenheimring with their title-winning cars. The two swapped seats, with Ravaglia taking the helm of Spengler's BMW M3 DTM racer and Spengler sliding behind the wheel of Ravaglia's first-generation M3 racer in the classic BMW Bank livery, and headed for the track. Spengler got a 23 second head start in the first-gen M3 with Ravaglia chasing behind.
It didn't take long for the older hotshoe to sort out his new ride and close the gap. The short clip below follows the two as they make their way around the circuit, but the really interesting portion comes when the pair begin discussing what they like and don't like about each other's machines. You can check out the full video below for yourself.

BMW predicts US will be biggest i8 market

BMW will be showing a production version of its new i8 plug-in hybrid supercar at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, and while we're quite excited about seeing the company's second i product in the flesh. According to a new report from Automotive News Europe, BMW is expecting its largest markets to be the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Notable for its absence in that list is everybody's favorite mega-market, China.
Automobilwoche, a German-language publication of Automotive News Europe, spoke with the i8's product manager, Hendrik Wenders, who declared, "The US will be by far the largest sales market for the i8." Wenders stops short of actual mentioning what percentage of i8 sales will be in the US, but does mention that it should arrive in showrooms around the world in about nine months. The simultaneous rollout will occur in 50 different countries.
Check back for our full coverage of the i8's debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. If you just can't wait until September, then check out our first drive of the i8 Prototype.

Weekly Recap: BMW rolls out ambitious plug-in hybrid electric plan

"We believe that for the United States, this is going to be very important." – Julian Arguelles Let there be no doubt, BMW is serious about electric vehicles. The German automaker said this week it will make plug-in hybrid versions of all of its core models, an aggressive move that demonstrates its commitment to electric propulsion systems. BMW did not specify which vehicles will get the plug-in systems or provide a timeline for when they will arrive. But the announcement is clearly more than blustering, and the company revealed a 3 Series plug-in prototype this week at an event in France. BMW said the 3 Series uses a version of its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (240 horsepower, 300 pound feet of torque) with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission in place of the torque converter. It has an all-electric range of 22 miles. A plug-in X5 with the same powertrain was also displayed alongside the 3 Series, though the X5 has been on the auto-show circuit for more than a year, including a recent stop in Los Angeles. Those two vehicles use "eDrive," and BMW's plans represent the first widespread transfer of its technology from development of the i3 and i8 models to more mainstream products. BMW said it's developing electric powertrains so they can be deployed rapidly across its range, and they are flexible enough to be used with fuel cells in future products. Enticingly, BMW is also working on a "Power eDrive" system, which debuted in a 5 Series GT concept at the event in France. This setup has two electric motors powered by a 20-kilowatt-hour battery pack, and when teamed with a four-cylinder turbo, pump out about 670 hp. Reinforcing BMW's commitment, the company will add more than 200 jobs at its factory in Dingolfing, Germany, to support electric-vehicle development. The moves come as BMW and other automakers diversify their portfolios while fuel economy and emissions regulations are getting tighter around the world. The United States has set a 54.5-mpg CAFE requirement for the 2025 model year. BMW said the electric vehicles were developed with an eye toward the US market, its government policies and its wide-ranging commuting styles. "We believe that for the United States, this is going to be very important," spokesman Julian Arguelles said. Ben Scott, a senior analyst in London with automotive research firm IHS, said BMW's moves are expensive – but necessary – to keep pace with the market.