1997 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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BMW just the latest automaker to realize China will want a lot of EVs

News about China and cars isn't in short supply these days. With several of the world's largest cities, millions of cars on the road and huge problems with air pollution, it's no wonder that the nation is trying to make some changes. Along with decommissioning many of its aging vehicles, China is also expected to see huge growth in its electric vehicle market. BMW, as other automakers already have done, sees this as an opportunity to sell more cars. "We expect that the Chinese car market for electromobility will become the largest markets for those cars in a few years," says Karsten Engel, BMW's China head. BMW is collaborating with Shanghai's State Grid municipal power company to put public EV charging points at the former World Expo site, and the city plans to create 45 more by the end of the year. These will charge many different vehicles made by BMW and other brands. Tesla, which began delivering its Model S to China last month, plans to build its own supercharger network for the country. BMW plans to begin selling the battery-powered i3 and i8 plug-in hybrid in China this fall. BMW hopes to sell more than 400,000 vehicles in China this year. Fewer than 1,000 of those will be the i3, though, says Engel, due to a lack of supply. So far, China is falling drastically behind its own targets to get EVs on the road. With a goal of 500,000 by 2015, fewer than 70,000 EVs are currently operating in China. This numbers gap doesn't necessarily mean that the demand is or isn't there yet, but more and more automakers are betting it will be, and soon. Volkswagen is planning a fleet of electrified models for China by 2018 (at least 15 models according to Bloomberg). Daimler is teaming up with China's BYD to build EVs (and, of course, Your Dreams). Other Chinese companies are getting into the game as well. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos Related Gallery 2015 BMW i8: First Drive View 62 Photos News Source: Bloomberg via Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green BMW Tesla Electric Shanghai charging station pollution exports

2015 BMW S 1000 RR looks to retain sportbike supremacy

The BMW S 1000 RR is already a pretty potent member of the superbike ranks, but BMW is revealing a host of upgrades for this two-wheeled lightning bolt at the Intermot 2014 motorcycle show that should make it even faster.
The biggest additions to the latest 1000 RR are its new cylinder head, lighter valves and different intake cam to tweak even more power from the bike's 1.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, and BMW now rates it at a claimed 196 horsepower (or 199 horses if you go with the European measurement, converted from 146 kilowatts), a boost over the first-gen's 193 ponies, and 83 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed gearbox. Those adjustments would probably be enough to make the cycle a tick faster alone, but the Bavarian engineers also cut 8.82 pounds (4 kg) to bring the motorcycle's weight with a full tank of fuel to a feather-light 450 pounds. Much of that diet comes from the redesigned exhaust that cuts about 6.6 pounds off the scales.
Cradling that tweaked engine is a redesigned, lighter frame with fully adjustable springs. The bike also comes standard with Race ABS, stability control, seven-step variable traction control and three riding modes. In terms of styling, all of these changes are communicated through an updated fairing with repositioned, though still asymmetric, headlights.

2015 BMW M3 Sedan

BMW's all-new M3 Sedan is dynamically nearly identical to its two-door M4 Coupe sibling: a stopwatch reveals that both are sub-four-second cars to 60 miles per hour, a racetrack proves that the mechanical twins are equally as adept on a road course and a full afternoon of driving on public roads demonstrates that each possesses talented everyday adaptability.
Yet after driving both BMW models back-to-back over two full days in Portugal, it's clear there are a few noticeable differences, both objective and subjective, that don't require instrument testing to reveal. All it takes is a few hours behind the wheel of both cars to conclude that one is slightly more agile, and the other a bit more twitchy. One has better outward visibility, while its counterpart is unquestionably more convenient.
It is the little things - subtleties attained through seat-of-the-pants observations - that eventually allow me to choose a favorite.