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BMW i5, i7 rumors surface again

When we first wrote about a rumored BMW i5 in January 2014, after speaking to the Munich-based head of electric vehicle operations and strategy, BMW USA wrote to tell us that the "suggestion of a BMW i model larger than the i3 is hypothetical at this point." After that note came a year of speculation from places like Car and Driver, Automobile and Autocar zeroing in on what this "hypothetical" EV would look like. Car has this year's first scoop, laying out a few more of the ideas behind the expansion of the i line. Said to be aimed straight at the Tesla Model S, it is based on the long-wheelbase, Chinese-market 5 Series but will be badged as either an i5 or an i7. Expected to arrive in time for the 2018 model year to join the next-generation 5 Series, it will be priced to compete with the Model S, but loading up on options can push that beyond $125,000, according to Car. Outside will be a sedan body, possibly with cues from the 6 Series Gran Coupe and the next 7 Series. The internals will be a mix of components like steering, brakes, and suspension from the next ICE 5 Series, with a plug-in hybrid, battery-extending powertrain derived from the i8. Car's info suggests a four-cylinder motor with around 245 horsepower up front, with a 204-hp e-motor also up front and a 90-hp e-motor in the back, as opposed to the i8's single motor. That arrangement provides about 544 total horsepower and will allow the sedan to run in purely electric front- or rear-wheel drive, or as a petrol-electric all-wheel drive. Electric range should be around 80 miles, and the ICE will be limited to operation above 40 miles per hour. There's reason to start putting weight behind these specs because they repeat, almost exactly, those written in the Automobile piece from December. That story said BMW wants to build 30,000 of them per year, and a concept could come in 2017. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: CarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Rumormill BMW Hybrid Sedan bmw i bmw i5

BMW X4 slantback is nearly here

Another day, another new BMW spied. Sometimes it feels like Bimmer is developing so many new models that in the future, every buyer will get their own unique car. The latest one spied is the upcoming BMW X4 that was launched as a concept nearly a year ago. The Bavarians still see a need to camouflage the rear end of its prototypes, though.
As you can see, the production version is hewing very closely to the concept. If you peer around the camo, the headlights have the same shape, but the foglights are a new addition. The rear roofline seems quite similar to concept, too, but the back end is still somewhat more mysterious because the masking and dirt hide a lot. Still, it doesn't seem like the production model is going to be radically different from the concept based on the previous test cars we spied in the past. It also strikes us as very similar in size and form to the already available 3 Series Gran Turismo, with which it is expected to share a great deal.
Our wait might not be very long to see the midsize German CUV undisguised, because the X4's debut is rumored for the New York Auto Show on April 16 with a reveal as early as March 14.

Child cobalt miners: Automakers pledge ethical minerals sourcing for EVs

BERLIN - Leading carmakers including Volkswagen and Toyota pledged on Wednesday to uphold ethical and socially responsible standards in their purchases of minerals for an expected boom in electric vehicle production. Demand for minerals such as cobalt, graphite and lithium is forecast to soar in the coming years as governments crack down on vehicle pollution and carmakers step up their investments in electric models. To cover its plans for more than 80 new models by 2025, Volkswagen alone is looking for partners in China, Europe and North America to provide battery cells and related technology worth more than 50 billion euros ($59 billion). Talks with major cobalt producers, including Glencore, at VW's Wolfsburg headquarters last week ended without a deal. More than half of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country racked by political instability and legal opacity, and where child labor is used in mines. On Wednesday, a group of 10 leading passenger-car and truck manufacturers announced an initiative to jointly identify and address ethical, environmental, human and labor rights issues in raw materials sourcing. The partnership dubbed "Drive Sustainability" consists of VW, Toyota Motor Europe, Ford, Daimler, BMW, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Cars and truckmakers Scania and Volvo. The alliance "will assess the risks posed by the top raw materials (such as mica, cobalt, rubber and leather) in the automotive sector," said Stefan Crets of the CSR Europe business network. "This will allow Drive Sustainability to identify the most impactful activities to pursue" to address issues within the supply chain.Reporting by Andreas Cremer.Related Video: Image Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images Green BMW Ford Honda Jaguar Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Automakers Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Green Automakers Green Culture Electric Scania ethics mining