2013 Bmw M3 Coupe. Navigation, Carbon Fiber Roof, Interlagos Blue Metallic on 2040-cars

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BMW confirms limited i3 Electronaut Edition, says i5* is in development [UPDATE]

Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicle operations and strategy for BMW, is excited these days. He's got a lot to sort out as the company's first large-scale production electric vehicle, the i3. Extending Electronaut leases, arranging tens of thousands of EV test drives and making sure there will be enough of the little city cars in the US when customer deliveries will start in May. Oh, and he's already working on the next BMW EV, which we think is likely to be the i5. During the Detroit Auto Show this week, Harb declined to name the model (surprise) but he did tell AutoblogGreen, "You can probably take an educated guess at the next thought process, something a little bigger, maybe a little more range, relative to the i3. We've got everything trademarked and we're exploring the best, next iteration. It is coming. It's in development now." [See update below.] An i5 has been rumored for years, but Harb said he's flying to Munich next week to "start the discussions further" on BMW's next-gen EVs. The Electronaut Edition i3 is "a thank you to them for being part of this broad journey with us" - BMW's Jacob Harb But there's much more to do, given the upcoming i3 launch. For one thing, leases for the first participants in BMW's Active E electronaut program - which started in January 20121 - will end in the next week or so, and those who want to get an i3 – and an "overwhelming majority" have said they are interested - may get their leases extended so they don't have to revert back to a gas car in the meantime. BMW dealers will be able to start ordering the i3 in "the next few days" and the Active E Electronauts will get the first of those cars off the production line, "as a thank you to them for being part of this broad journey with us," Harb said. There will also be a special Electronaut Edition of the i3, that will be upgraded from the standard i3 at not cost. Harb wouldn't say what's different, just that the "options and features" will serve to identify the car from the outside. It will be "as unique and compelling as possible," he said, with details coming in the next few weeks. The i3 is already on sale in Europe, the company won't start making US-bound vehicles until March. Since there are no official i3 orders in the system yet, Harb didn't know exactly what the split will be between pure EV and the range extender version, but that his estimate is 50/50. He also wouldn't talk about production numbers, but did say that.

BMW discussing supercar collaboration with McLaren

BMW is reportedly considering a new halo supercar. But rather than go it alone, word has it that the Bavarian automaker is discussing a potential partnership with McLaren to make the idea a reality. This according to Britain's Car magazine, which suggests that negotiations are well underway. The proposal would see the BMW supercar based on the same architecture that will to underpin Woking's P16 project that's set to replace current 650S. Rather than use the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that McLaren developed together with Ricardo, the Bimmer version would use Munich's own engine: a 4.0-liter V8 with quad turbochargers – two conventional spools and two more electrically driven chargers. Their combined effect would net an expected 750 horsepower. Further differentiations on McLaren's carbon monocoque architecture for use in the BMW would include custom bodywork, aerodynamics, and interior fitments to include a unique instrument panel. Production, however, would be handled at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, to the tune of several hundred units per year. The project would take the place of several aborted programs undertaken internally at BMW. One called for an entirely unique supercar developed in-house, referred to internally as the M100. When that project was aborted so that BMW could concentrate on the i sub-brand, BMW's own skunkworks shifted its focus to developing a more performance-focused version of the i8, known by some as the i8 CSi. When that project was canned as well, discussions with McLaren commenced. It wouldn't be the first time BMW would outsource development of its own supercar, or even the first time BMW would collaborate with McLaren on such a project. Initial development work on the original M1 in the 1970s was undertaken by Lamborghini before being taken in-house. And, of course, BMW provided the engine for the legendary McLaren F1. Meanwhile McLaren performed a similar function for Mercedes-Benz with the SLR, demonstrating Woking's experience in building flagship supercars for German automakers. This latest project could suffer the same fate as the M100 and i8 CSi programs. But if it is approved, it could yield both coupe and convertible versions, with the first slated to surface at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2017 and reach dealerships in 2019.

Watch Emily Blunt and John Krasinski prank Jimmy Kimmel's SUV

Jimmy Kimmel has a bit of a rivalry going with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Not like the "I'm on television, you're on the radio" one he has with his former Man Show co-host Adam Carolla (who of course has more to do with cars than the last name he almost shares with a Toyota economy sedan). With Blunt and Krasinski, it's more of a prank rivalry. The Hollywood couple, you see, live across the street from Kimmel, and they're all good friends. But come the holiday season, things get a little competitive. One year they broke into Jimmy's house and left an illuminated snowman and some sort of santa bear in his foyer. Jimmy retaliated, the Krasinskis escalated, and up and up things went until Jimmy had their entire house wrapped like a gift. John and Emily weren't going to leave it at that, though, and took things in a decidedly more automotive direction. They gift-wrapped the host's BMW X5 and filled it with balls. But they didn't stop there. You'll want to watch the footage above to see how things ended, just take note of the roll cage visible as Krasinski-Clause stumbles out of the car in that last scene and remember that, while we couldn't say no vehicles were actually harmed in the making of this segment, at least it doesn't appear to have actually been Kimmel's.