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The next-generation BMW M5 starts here

The next-generation BMW 5 Series hasn't even arrived yet, but BMW is hard at work testing the hottest version of the popular sedan – the sixth-generation M5. Now admittedly, these photos might not look much like an M5. The wheels are big, but not uncommonly so. There's no wild and crazy body kit, or hugely flared wheel arches. But what's that in the back? Are those four exhaust tips? Why yes, yes they are. And take a second look at those wheels. Notice the pizza-pan-sized brakes and huge calipers? Yet another M5 giveaway. But as our spies rightly point out, even though this does represent development work on the next M5, it's a very early prototype. That could also explain the charge port on the driver's side front fender, a feature that we've seen on other 5 Series prototypes. This does not mean the next M5 will be a plug-in hybrid, however. What the next M5 will likely be, though, is all-wheel drive. This isn't a huge surprise, considering that the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has already gone AWD, while the Porsche Panamera Turbo and Audi RS6/7 have always had four driven wheels. BMW has even hinted at just such a development, with former M boss Dr. Friedrich Nitschke going as far as saying AWD could arrive on the next M5. "On our cars we are thinking of all-wheel drive, but it won't come before we get the successor of the M5 and M6," Nitschke said in an October 2013 report. "That's the timing and it's not practical to react in the current life cycles." At this point, it's simply too early to guess at when or where the next-generation M5 will debut. We're expecting the next-gen 5 Series at either the 2016 Geneva Motor Show or Auto China 2016 in Beijing. The next M5 could join it, although it's possible it'd get its very own debut at a later date.

China probing German automakers over spare parts

The Chinese market has proven to be a boon to German luxury automakers. However, the way that the companies have allegedly been controlling their supply of spare parts has begun to draw the ire of the nation's government. According to insiders speaking to Bloomberg, officials from the country's economic planning organization have opened a probe into Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and some Japanese carmakers over claimed price inflation and limiting supply.
Specifically, the investigation centers around two aspects of how the companies do business, according to Bloomberg. Investigators want to know whether the original equipment component makers are able to sell spare parts only to automaker-authorized dealers or if they are also available to independent shops. There is also the issue of whether the price markup on replacement pieces is too high. The tight controls could be partially explained by China's reputation for producing counterfeit parts.
Evidently, the investigators haven't checked parts prices at car dealers elsewhere in the world. At least in the US, paying more at the dealer for factory components just goes along with owning a vehicle. If evidence of price fixing is found, the companies could face fines the equivalent of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg.

Rinspeed issues its Budii call for Geneva [w/video]

Of all the concepts prepared every year for the Geneva Motor Show, those made by Rinspeed are typically the most outlandish and forward-thinking. And this is the latest from Frank Rinderknecht and company. Though Rinspeed's been known to build entirely original vehicles from the ground up, it tends to base its creations on production models: Following the Tesla-based XchangE from last year, the Smart-based Dock+Go of 2012, the Fiat-based E2 from 2009 and the Lotus-based sQuba in 2007, the new Budii concept is based on the BMW i3. That means, of course, that it's powered by electricity, but the technology demonstrator is focused more on autonomous driving tech. The Budii incorporates a periscopic camera and laser scanner to map the terrain and the road ahead from above, and a drive-by-wire steering system that allows the steering wheel on an articulated column to be passed between driver and passenger or tucked out of the way to let the electronics take over. Once unburdened of the task of driving, the occupants can enjoy the proliferation of touchscreens, the "wellness shower" (whatever that is) installed in the headliner, the automatic watch-winder on the steering column and the interior accoutrements furnished by Mansory. The whole thing rides on a lowered suspension with 19-inch Borbet alloys, with a rainbow Knight Rider-style grille in the nose. But to appreciate the full scope of the consortium of suppliers that collaborated with Rinspeed to bring the Budii to life, you'll want to delve into the press release after the video below and scope out the dozens of high-resolution images in the slideshow above. 2015 Geneva Motor Show: Rinspeed "Budii" redefines human-machine interaction Reach out to robots The vision of autonomous driving will soon become reality and will fundamentally change the interaction of man and automobiles. While the research centers of the automotive industry are still feverishly working on the technical solutions, progressive thinkers such as the Swiss idea factory Rinspeed are already giving concrete thought to how automated private transport will transform the car and the man-machine system. Besides fundamental conceptual changes, this will also have to involve issues of ethics and society. In the past, the robots in the factories of this world merely assembled cars for people. In the new "Budii" concept car from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M.