on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2013 BMW R1200GS and HP4 duel at Circuito de Almeria

The 2013 BMW HP4 is the track-ready version of the manufacturer's already mighty S1000RR, which puts the bike at the very tip top of the two-wheeled BMW food chain. The R1200GS, meanwhile, is intended to be a somewhat more utilitarian machine. Capable of conveying both rider and gear over vast distances and uncertain terrain, the big-boy GS is the Swiss army knife to the HP4's rapier. Or at least that's what we've always been led to believe. BMW recently rolled out some footage during a press launch that showed the R1200GS is actually no slouch when it comes time to sling around a road course.
The company threw both bikes on Spain's Circuito de Almeria for a little sparring match, and miraculously, the HP4 didn't just up and walk away from the R1200GS. From from it. Instead, the two stay tightly matched through most of the course before something surprising happens. We won't spoil the ending for you. Is it possible the rider on the HP4 still had some in reserve? Sure, but from the sound and look of things, neither bike was giving an inch. Check out all the video action below for yourself.

2013 Nissan GT-R and 2013 Alpina B6 mix it up on track and street

Here we have Autocar making an unforeseen comparison: the Nissan GT-R against the Alpina B6 at Brands Hatch and on public roads. Steve Sutcliffe clobbers the circuit in the 3,828-pound, all-wheel-drive sports car, then sees how well the 4,114-pound, rear-wheel drive grand tourer does against it.
Sutcliffe says there are quite a few similarities between the two cars, but that's really only on the spec sheet. The Nissan's got two turbos attached to its 3.8-liter V6, 542 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. The Alpina's got two turbos attached to its 4.4-liter V8, 532 hp and 528 lb-ft. But one's brief is to be a monster on the track, the other on the boulevard, and if there's anything the video demonstrates, it's each car's focus.

BMW and Samsung team up with Galaxy Gear smartwatch that talks to your i3

Without a doubt, the most impressive thing that BMW showed at CES this year was a driverless M235i drifting flawlessly around a wet track at Las Vegas Speedway. However, that bit of robotic helmsmanship wasn't the only trick the German company had up its sleeve. Or, more to the point, on its wrist.
Taking a page from rival Mercedes-Benz, BMW demonstrated how a "smartwatch," in this case the Samsung Galaxy Gear, could be made to function usefully with a vehicle, in this case the BMW i3. Calling it a "research application," BMW showed off its BMW i Remote App on the Galaxy Gear; the app gives information about state of battery charge, available range and whether or not all the doors and windows are closed or open. Perhaps more useful still, the watch can be used to send a destination to the i3's navigation unit, adjust the climate control in preparation for a trip and can recognize voice commands. Nifty stuff, if not world-shaking, that could help tech-obsessed luxury buyers take a second look at the upcoming BMW EV.
Take a closer look at the watch in action below, or read thru the BMW press release.