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BMW CEO faints on stage at Frankfurt press conference

Newly minted BMW AG CEO Harald Kruger has had a rough start to his first Frankfurt Motor Show in that position. Kruger fainted about five minutes into the BMW press conference. A pair of assistants helped the executive to his feet and off-stage, and, understandably, the presser was cancelled. A report in Financial Times indicates that Kruger was not feeling well leading up to his appearance at the show, and that the fainting spell was a result of "a moment of dizziness." Kruger was taken to an area hospital where he is said to be recovering from the incident, and in stable condition. The life of the top dog at a major automaker has got to be stress-filled, sleep-deprived, and hard to handle under normal circumstances, let alone before a major exhibition like Frankfurt. We wish Kruger a speedy recovery getting back to it. And we're certain that he'll face a busy schedule, once again, when he's back on his feet. The CEO replaced Norbert Reithhofer in May of this year, and now oversees a BMW with as big a model lineup as the brand has known, including the recently launched new 7 Series. Here in Frankfurt, BMW is also featuring the new-for-2016 X1 small crossover, while the Mini brand has unwrapped the revised Clubman. News Source: Financial TimesImage Credit: AP Frankfurt Motor Show BMW Frankfurt 2015

Next BMW 4 Series convertible may ditch folding hardtop

In 2007 the E93 BMW 3 Series convertible switched from a fabric roof to a folding hardtop, but reports out of Germany and BMW say that the next-generation 4 Series convertible will go back to a fabric roof. AutoBild disclosed that nugget last month, now BMW Blog says a BMW source told their sister German publication BimmerToday that it's official and "a decision has already been made." The official car of pro tennis clubs around the world, the droptop 4 Series isn't due in dealers until 2020 or 2021 so one would think there remains some leeway about the top. However, teams of designers are working on the new car right now, so it's entirely possible that a design course is fixed. From the time that the model made the switch, fabric roofs have got so good that there is barely, if any, penalty for using them. It's supposed the change is being made to save weight and free up space. The next 4 Series range is aiming for a lot more sportiness, so on top of its CLAR (cluster architecture) body, it's expected to get active steering, adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars, bigger brakes, and brake-based torque vectoring. Detail improvements like reduced-friction wheel bearings, and faster torque transfer for its all-wheel-drive system are on the long list of upgrades. So too are aluminum and carbon fiber wheels, which will likely be developments based on the carbon wheels BMW showed off last year. Driver assistance options will be legion, with remote-controlled parking, semi-autonomous driving up to 40 mph, and hands-free overtaking perhaps among them.

M235i outpoints 911, Corvette in CR testing, becomes highest-scoring BMW ever

Good news just keeps coming for BMW, as Consumer Reports has just handed out a stunner of a verdict - the M235i, a spritely, 320-horsepower coupe that starts at just $43,100 has bested the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Porsche 911, vehicles that can easily cost twice as much and come to battle with considerably more power.
CR awarded the spiritual successor to the 1 Series M Coupe a score of 98 out of 100, beating out the 911 and the Stingray by three and six points, respectively. In fact, the M235i is remarkably close to the Tesla Model S' 99, making it one of the highest scores CR has ever handed out. It's also, not surprisingly, the highest-rated BMW ever.
Of the M235i's many attributes, Consumer Reports cited the car's performance potential as well as its quiet ride and comfort for front-seat passengers. While it's a shock to no one, CR called out the limited space in the backseats as well as some finicky controls as this Bimmer's biggest shortcomings.