Monte Carlo Blue Metallic Auto Msrp $103k Only 4,093 Miles Loaded With Options on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW matriarch Johanna Quandt dies at 89

Johanna Quandt, matriarch of the family that owns the largest stake in BMW, has died at age 89. One of the world's richest women, Quandt ranked in her own right as the eighth wealthiest individual in Germany, and one of the 100 wealthiest billionaires in the world. Johanna Maria Bruhn was born in June 1926, the daughter of art historians in Berlin. She trained in medical technology before the outbreak of World War II, and after the war worked as a banker's secretary in Cologne. She started working for Herbert Quandt in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, in the mid-1950s, and eventually became his personal assistant. They married in 1960, shortly after increasing the family's stake in BMW to 50 percent in order to stave off a takeover attempt by Daimler-Benz. The Quandt family's fortune was controversially amassed during the war. Herbert's father, Gunther Quandt, was a top Nazi-era industrialist named by Adolf Hitler as a Wehrwirtschaftsfuhrer – Leader of the Armament Economy. After Herbert's mother Antonie died, Gunther remarried to Magda, a much younger woman. Following their subsequent divorce, Magda married Nazi master propagandist Joseph Goebbels (with Hitler as best man), and together raised Herbert's half-brother Harald. A recent documentary found that the AFA, the company that the Quandts controlled during WWII, used slave labor provided by the Nazi regime to manufacture battery and munitions for the German war effort. Due to the subhuman living and working conditions, AFA lost approximately 80 forced laborers each month. Despite earlier denial of any wartime wrongdoing, the documentary and ensuing public attention prompted the Quandts to open their books to another investigation that confirmed their wartime activities. The Quandts would later use the capital they amassed to buy BMW, of which they still hold 46.7 percent – the remaining 53.3 percent traded publicly. Following Herbert's death in 1982, Johanna took over 16.7 percent ownership in the company, with their son Stefan Quandt acquiring 17.4 percent and their daughter Susanne Klatten assuming 12.6 percent ownership. Stefan and Susanne, both members of BMW's supervisory board since 1997, are expected to inherit their mother's shares following her passing. Johanna's personal fortune was estimated at nearly $14 billion. Though reclusive from media and public attention, she gave generously to charitable foundations that supported such causes as medical research and business journalism.

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 1 Series prototype packs direct water injection

Just a few months ago, BMW showcased an M4 that was modified to serve as the safety car for the MotoGP racing series. The flashing lights and emergency equipment, however, weren't the only modifications BMW made to the performance coupe. It also packed an innovative new water injection system. And now it's furthering the development of that system by running it in a 1 Series hatchback as well. Revealed at the BMW Group Innovation Days 2015 event, this five-door 1 Series packs a three-cylinder gasoline engine – like the one found in a Mini or i8 – but fitted with the direct water injection system. In this application, the system sprays a fine mist of water – yep, regular old H2O – right into the combustion chamber. While mixing water with gasoline normally wouldn't be recommended, in this case it evaporates immediately and helps cool the engine from the inside, allowing it to run at higher efficiency. That cooler running engine brings with it several benefits. It delivers improved fuel economy and lower emissions, to start. It also allows for an earlier ignition point, higher compression ratio, and higher boost pressure in turbocharged engines, delivering increased output. It even cuts down on engine knocking (where combustion occurs spontaneously), reduces wear and tear on the engine, and makes better use of lower octane levels. If that sounds like a win-win-win... win (we're losing count of all the wins here), it's because BMW just may be on to something. Of course it does require a water tank to be fitted on board, which means added weight, but instead of requiring the driver fill up the water tank, BMW has fitted this prototype with a system that replenishes the water level from the air conditioning system when the vehicle is switched off. So unless it's being driven in a particularly extreme climate, it doesn't even need topping up. Add one more "win" to the list, then. Extra power, improved real-world fuel economy: Direct water injection enhances efficiency. With direct water injection for turbocharged petrol engines, the BMW Group has again succeeded in enhancing the capabilities of conventional engine technology through an ongoing process of refinement and improvement. The precisely controlled injection of water into the engine cylinders produces a cooling effect that boosts power and torque, particularly when operating at or near full throttle, while at the same time reducing fuel consumption and emissions.