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2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

Is This A Great Idea For An M Model?
The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is already an issue of large debate. The essential business case for the car is that it's more distinctive than a straight 5 or 6 Series, and has much of the sense of space and luxury of a 7 Series. It has the wheelbase of a 5 Series, the relative width of a 6 Series, and an exterior length close to the standard wheelbase 7 Series. And, as we reported in our drive of the 640i Gran Coupe in May 2012, the 6 Series Gran Coupe costs pretty much the same as the 7 Series, engine trim for engine trim. The sedan (coupe?) is therefore a proposal clearly meant for an extremely particular clientele. There's no news yet on how well exactly the 6 Series Gran Coupe is selling in its chief markets, but we are curious. The Germans frequently tend not to break out their sales figures that way, mixing sales of the Gran Coupe in with the two-door 6 Series.
And, so, we have now arrived at the inevitable point where the M version must be introduced. Say howdy to the $113,000 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe (actually $115,195 for starters with all of the taxes added). That's $4,650 more than the also highly priced M6 coupe. Let the vehement debates begin. The upcoming 2014 Audi RS7 should be priced right at this level as well, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG (perhaps with an S iteration in the next allotment we get Stateside) should go for roughly the same.

Daimler, BMW partnering up on wireless charging

Plug-in vehicle advocates can get all warm and fuzzy about two Germany heavyweight automakers getting together for the sake of wireless charging. That's because Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW will work together to speed up development of a wireless charging system. While not a ton of details were divulged, we can still rejoice. Daimler says the system will consist of an on-board coil and another coil that can be placed within the garage floor or someplace similarly stationary. The system will charge at 3.6 kilowatts and with 90 percent efficiency. No details were released about the system's price or when it would be available, but Daimler shouldn't wait too long, since other OEMs are already talking about their own wireless charging systems. Daimler obviously has some skin in the game here, since Mercedes-Benz will start sales of its S500 plug-in hybrid in September. That model, which was first shown off last August at the Frankfurt Auto Show, can go as far as 20 miles on electric power alone and will get fuel economy of about 84 miles per gallon equivalent. And it's easy to imagine an i3 or i8 driver getting a kick out of never needing to touch a cord. This spring, reports sprung up that fellow German automaker Volkswagen was preparing a wireless charging option for its electric vehicles as soon as 2017. You can check out Daimler's press release below. Wireless charging of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles: PLUG IN HYBRID - unplugged One of the next steps on the way to perfect electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles is wireless charging. Daimler and BMW have now agreed on jointly developing and implementing one common technology. Wireless charging of the battery will make the handling of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles even easier. Mercedes-Benz will commence fleet testing of this "unplugged" technology with the S 500 Plug in HYBRID soon, in order to develop a real S-Class solution in recharging the high voltage battery in terms of comfort and ease of operating in the near future. The system consists of two components: a secondary coil integrated into the under tray of the car and a primary coil integrated into a floor plate that can be placed on a garage floor for instance. Electrical energy is transmitted contact-free without the need for a cable, at a power rate of 3.6 kW and with a degree of efficiency of 90%.

BMW preparing new M4 GTS with water injection

Last month, BMW revealed a new safety car for the MotoGP series. Only instead of just taking one of its production models and giving it some flashing lights, special livery and emergency equipment, the Bavarian automaker used the specially equipped M4 to showcase a new water injection system. And now word has it that the tech is being worked into a new M4 GTS. The system sprays water into the combustion chamber in order to lower the temperature of the air and increase the engine's efficiency, thus allowing it to produce more power without overheating, and relying less on ambient temperatures. It does require refilling a 1.3-gallon water tank in the trunk, though. According to Car and Driver, it's that same system that BMW will be installing in the new M4 GTS, taking the place of previous M3 GTS specials. If precedent is anything to go by, the M4 GTS will also be stripped of excess weight and feature a tighter suspension, stickier tires and more, in order to make BMW's muscle coupe even more hardcore and focused for the track. We could be looking at a debut as early as Pebble Beach in August.