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BMW dismisses Tesla tie-up talk

Despite recent rumors to the contrary, don't expect to see much collaboration between Tesla and BMW in the near future. Based on some rather prickly statements from the German automaker, Elon Musk might have even burnt some bridges in Bavaria with his latest proclamations. The spat stems from Musk's recent interview with German magazine Der Spiegel where he discusses future collaboration with BMW on "battery technology or charging stations" and the possibility of a battery factory in Germany. But apparently, any future tie-ups are news to the Bavarian automaker. In an interview with the German business publication Wirtschafts Woche, an unnamed spokesperson for the company claims Musk said it all for PR value and swats down most of the statements. BMW has no intention of acquiring Tesla shares, and they aren't working together on any tech. There's not much chance for future cooperation on a battery factory in Germany, either. BMW believes that the cells can just as easily be purchased from suppliers, like other auto parts. The one slight concession is that the spokesperson said that the German automaker would be willing to supply Tesla with carbon fiber. That's not an exclusive offer, though, and the company is open to negotiate such a deal with any interested automaker.

Meet the inventor of the BMW 3 Series wagon

It's hard to imagine, but once upon a time, there were only two BMW 3 Series variants: the coupe and sedan. Back before gran coupes, convertibles and yes, even touring models were available, buyers could only get their 3 Series fix if it came with two or four doors and a fixed roof. Back in the mid '80s, BMW engineer Max Reisbock was having some trouble fitting his whole family into his four door. Rather than suck it up and buy a van, he picked up a wrecked 3 Series and got to cutting in a buddy's garage. Months later, he had the very first 3 Series Touring ever built.
At first, he kept the the car to himself, using it to haul friends and family around, but he eventually showed it off to his friends at work. When the BMW executives found out about his project, they called him up to take a closer look. After putting an eyeball on the car, they took it, copied his design, made a few tweaks and quickly rolled out the first production 3 Series Touring. How's that for validation? Check out the video below for Reisbock's story.

2015 BMW X4 is a budget X6

We won't argue that crossovers are hugely successful vehicles, with automakers working to provide functional CUVs in a wide range of sizes. But over at BMW, things are just getting out of hand, as evidenced by this new X4 "Sports Activity Coupe" that debuts here at the 2014 New York Auto Show.
BMW is seeing fit to offer vehicles in even the most niche of niches, and the X4 is no exception. Want proof? Have a look at the X4, and the compare it to the X3, the 3 Series Gran Turismo, the 3 Series Sport Wagon, and the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Aside from marginal differences in things like ground clearance and the exact slope of the hatchback, what, exactly, is the difference?
Like the other models we just mentioned, the X4 is powered by either a 2.0-liter turbo-four with 240 horsepower or a more powerful, 3.0-liter turbo-six with 300 horsepower, and unsurprisingly, power is sent to the ground exclusively via the company's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. An eight-speed automatic transmission is the sole gearbox available with either engine. All sounds very familiar, right?