2002 M3 Unique Stare Blue Color Mint, Suede, 19' Csl, Active Autowerke on 2040-cars

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Audi, BMW, Daimler buy Nokia's Here digital mapping business

The fight for control of Nokia's Here digital mapping service appears to have drawn to a close as a consortium of German automakers has announced a deal to jointly acquire the business from the Finnish telecom giant. As anticipated, ownership in Here will now be taken over jointly by Audi, BMW, and Daimler, beating out reported rivals bids from the likes of Apple and Uber. Here is one of the largest and most advanced digital mapping and location systems. It started out in Chicago in 1986 as Navteq before Nokia acquired it in 2007, and is now slated to change ownership again. The cloud-based service maintains high-definition digital maps for nearly 200 countries and supports over 50 languages, gathering data from users to update the data continuously. Rather than transition the service into their own proprietary technology, however, the automakers insist that it will remain open "to all customers from the automotive industry and other sectors." Ownership will be shared equally between the three companies, with "none of them seek[ing] to acquire a majority interest" in Here. For another, Here's management is promised to remain independent, and "the consortium will not interfere into operational business." Though the purchase price has not been disclosed, it is rumored to be worth in the neighborhood of $2.7 billion. Assuming it passes regulatory approval, the acquisition is slated to be completed in the first quarter of next year. The German automakers anticipate implementing the service to provide connected vehicles with accurate, up-to-date information on road and other conditions. Examples it outlines include warning other drivers of icy conditions based on outside temperature and ABS activation. It could also warn drivers of impending traffic jams, or even guide traffic through green lights in an urban environment. In the future, the highly detailed maps are envisioned to enable fully automated driving as well. Related Video: AUDI AG, BMW Group and Daimler AG agree with Nokia Corporation on joint acquisition of HERE digital mapping business Ingolstadt, Munich, Stuttgart, Aug 03, 2015 - Acquisition will secure and strengthen HERE as an independent company serving customers from all industries - Real-time maps and location based services will be the basis for the mobility of tomorrow - Transaction expected to close in first quarter 2016 Ingolstadt, Munich, Stuttgart – August 3rd, 2015.

Next BMW 4 Series convertible may ditch folding hardtop

In 2007 the E93 BMW 3 Series convertible switched from a fabric roof to a folding hardtop, but reports out of Germany and BMW say that the next-generation 4 Series convertible will go back to a fabric roof. AutoBild disclosed that nugget last month, now BMW Blog says a BMW source told their sister German publication BimmerToday that it's official and "a decision has already been made." The official car of pro tennis clubs around the world, the droptop 4 Series isn't due in dealers until 2020 or 2021 so one would think there remains some leeway about the top. However, teams of designers are working on the new car right now, so it's entirely possible that a design course is fixed. From the time that the model made the switch, fabric roofs have got so good that there is barely, if any, penalty for using them. It's supposed the change is being made to save weight and free up space. The next 4 Series range is aiming for a lot more sportiness, so on top of its CLAR (cluster architecture) body, it's expected to get active steering, adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars, bigger brakes, and brake-based torque vectoring. Detail improvements like reduced-friction wheel bearings, and faster torque transfer for its all-wheel-drive system are on the long list of upgrades. So too are aluminum and carbon fiber wheels, which will likely be developments based on the carbon wheels BMW showed off last year. Driver assistance options will be legion, with remote-controlled parking, semi-autonomous driving up to 40 mph, and hands-free overtaking perhaps among them.

BMW unleases new M4 as MotoGP safety car

BMW has some considerable racing prowess to crow about, and draws on those credentials to create models like the new M4. But it's not about to rest on the laurels it's won at the end of innumerable races past and present. Mere months after the release of its latest performance coupe, BMW has already revealed a new M4 touring car for the DTM series, and has now unveiled its new M4 safety car for the MotoGP motorcycle championship.
Revealed on the BMW M Facebook page and set to debut at the front of the grid at the season opener in Qatar a couple weeks from now, the new M4 safety car is just the latest in a long string of official vehicles it has provided to the MotoGP series. Previous examples have included everything from the 1M Coupe to the M6 and the X6 M.
Like its predecessors, the M4 safety car features emergency lighting, special equipment and of course BMW's trademark white livery with red, navy and light blue stripes that, in this arrangement, give the new Williams Martini Racing livery a run for its money. Logos promote the BMW M Performance Parts you can buy to bring your own Bimmer up to spec, which on this car isn't likely have changed much from stock.