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Updated BMW X6 spied running the 'Ring in Germany

Following the debut of the X5 earlier this year, it shouldn't come as a shock that BMW is testing an updated X6 in its homeland. The Munich-based manufacturer trekked to the Nürburgring to test the lifted, four-door coupe it calls a Sports Activity Vehicle, while also giving us our first peak as to what the future holds for one of the weirder models in the brand's stable.
Mainly, we can safely expect the next X6 to get the same range of refinements made to its platform-mate, the X5, which debuted earlier this year. If we're lucky, that could mean an X6 sDrive35i, complete with rear-wheel drive with which to fling the big SAV about. Adding a rear-drive option could also broaden its admittedly limited appeal by lowering the cost of entry, which could serve the pricier X6 well. As a point of reference, the X5 sDrive35i is priced at $2,300 below an xDrive all-wheel-drive-equipped model.
The X6's top-flight xDrive50i model should get the same 45-horsepower bump as the X5 xDrive50i, thanks to refinements to its twin-turbocharged, 4.4-liter V8, while the 3.0-liter, turbocharged six-pot should remain unchanged. We wouldn't hold our breath for an X6 diesel to arrive, although weirder stuff has happened. Like the X5, though, this should be a pretty slim refit that improves an already competent package to go along with an expected increase in price.

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.

Automotive April Fools' joke roundup [w/videos]

Happy April, everyone. And we all know what this first day of the month means: April Fools' Day. Today is a national holiday for pranksters with the Internet acting as a serious enabler, and it's always fun to see what kind of vivid imaginations exist out there in the automotive world. The abundance of fake news gets a little old as the day rolls on, but we did manage to get in a few chuckles thanks to a handful of major automakers and automotive news outlets that got into the pranking spirit this year
Some of our favorites this year includes Subaru showing what happens when you combine a bunch of rumors, a Corvette some may have already thought was a joke or Honda providing some in-car innovation circa the late 1980s. Honestly, we're still waiting for official confirmation from Mitsubishi that the recently introduced 2014 Mirage is an elaborate April Fools' joke using a failed design intended for the 1995 Geo Metro. We dug up as much "official" OEM foolishness we could find, as well as some of our other favorites, and posted them all below.