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BMW slapped with discrimination suit by EEOC

According to a report from CNNMoney, BMW has been hit with a lawsuit from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after revised criminal background check policies resulted in the dismissal of 88 contractors, 70 of whom (that's about 80 percent) were black. A total of 645 contractors were required to submit to background checks at BMW's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina after BMW switched contract companies at its plant.
Though the 88 persons who were not rehired by the new contractor all had criminal records, that may not necessarily be a legal way to screen applicants, as the EEOC counters: "BMW's policy has no time limit with regard to convictions. The policy is a blanket exclusion without any individualized assessment of the nature and gravity of the crimes, the ages of the convictions, or the nature of the claimants' respective positions."
BMW's actions were in violation of the Civic Rights Act of 1964, according to the EEOC, because they utilized "a criminal conviction policy that disproportionately screened out African-Americans." A recent bulletin offering guidance from the EEOC on the Civil Rights Act can be found here, but the EEOC's stance on the issue has been the same for years: "Since issuing its first written policy guidance in the 1980s regarding the use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions, the EEOC has advised employers that under certain circumstances, their use of that information to deny employment opportunities could be at odds with Title VII."

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X assembly video, autonomous Apple test car spotted?

A video from Tesla shows factory robots assembling a Model X. The teaser video is titled, Team of robots gives Model X its backbone, as the machines are working on the car's structural support. It gives a rare glimpse into the underpinnings of the Model X, and it also reminds people that the cars are being built despite previous delays. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. A Chinese electric vehicle company has hired multiple executives from BMW's i sub-brand. Sources close to the matter tell Automotive News Europe that Future Mobility, an EV company backed by Tencent Holdings and Foxconn Technology Group, has hired Dirk Abendroth as VP of software and connectivity, Benoit Jacob as VP of design, and Henrik Wenders as VP of marketing. The former BMW employees will join former BMW i8 project manager Carsten Breitfeld, who is Future Mobility's CEO. Abendroth and Wenders confirmed their new positions at the Chinese company, while Benoit didn't immediately respond to ANE. A BMW spokesman declined to comment. Read more at Automotive News Europe. A blogger at TechRadar claims to have spotted a possible Apple autonomous test vehicle. Author Michelle Fitzsimmons says the white, unmarked Ford Transit was kitted out with various apparatuses, including Lidar sensors and cameras on the roof. While she originally thought it could be a van from Apple's Maps service, the Lidar and a couple other oddities lead her to speculate that it is actually using self-driving technology. If not testing autonomous features itself, the van could also be gathering data for a future driverless vehicle. Read more at TechRadar, or from Apple Car Fans.

BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe could be coming

Dig the BMW 2 Series coupe but wish it had more doors? Well you're in luck, sir or madam, as that's just what BMW has in store. According to Autocar, the Bavarian automaker is planning to launch a 2 Series Gran Coupe. And what's more is that there'll be an M2 version with four doors as well. Not to be confused with the 2 Series Gran Tourer – a front-drive city car based on an entirely different platform – the 2 Series Gran Coupe would follow the same formula that BMW applies to the 4 Series and 6 Series Gran Coupe. That is to say a sedan with sleek "coupe" styling, sized to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3. BMW unveiled a similar design as the BMW Concept Compact Sedan at the Guangzhou Motor Show last year. The production 2 Series Gran Coupe will likely look more like the existing 2 Series coupe, only a bit longer to accommodate the additional doors. It's also possible the Gran Coupe could have a liftgate at the back instead of a trunklid. The best part is that an M2 version is likely. The M2 coupe is one of our favorite cars; a four door option would increase the appeal to many. It's expected to pack the same 3.0-liter turbo six as the M2 coupe, good for 365 horsepower and mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT. In classic German automaker fashion, this makes sure BMW doesn't cede a market slice to the Mercedes-AMG CLA45 and the forthcoming Audi RS3 sedan, but the Bimmer will stick with a rear-drive layout instead of its all-wheel-drive rivals. Of course there will be other, less powerful versions as well, including gasoline and diesel engines with three cylinders or four, and potentially even a plug-in hybrid. Buyers will also be able to choose between rear- or all-wheel drive setups. As no official announcement has been made, it's anybody's guess as to when we could see any variant for sale in the US. Related Video: