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BMW reveals new seven-seat 2 Series Gran Tourer [w/video]

Everything is turning up Gran over at BMW these days. The 4 Series and 6 Series sprout extra doors to become Gran Coupes. The 3 Series and 5 Series get weird rooflines to become Gran Turismos. And now the 2 Series Active Tourer has grown an extra row of seats to become the Gran Tourer. What we're looking at is essentially the same mini-minivan/tall-hatchback that emerged almost exactly a year ago as the first front-drive model in BMW's history. Only in the guise of the new 2 Series Gran Tourer, it's been stretched to accommodate that third row of seats to give it seven-seat capacity – which was to be expected, of course, but is still fairly impressive considering how compact this vehicle actually is. It may be less than ten inches longer than the five-seat Active Tourer, but it's still smaller than just about any seven-seater on the market, and to hear the Bavarians tell it, it's "the world's first premium compact model to offer up to seven seats." Those seats are optional and can fold under the floor, and the middle row splits 40:20:40 and folds flat at the push of a button to give the 2 Series Gran Tourer a flexible cargo capacity ranging from 22.7 cubic feet all the way up to 67 cu ft. All of that in a vehicle no longer than a Ford Focus, which even in European wagon form can only swallow 53 cu ft with the seats folded – and you can forget about the extra seats in the Focus. European buyers will be able to choose between five engine options with three or four cylinders and ranging from 116 horsepower to 192. Available all-wheel drive might make you forget it's riding on a front-drive platform altogether (but not likely). Either way, the five-seat Active Tourer hasn't found its way to US showrooms, so we won't expect to see this new seven-seat version here either. At least not for the time being. But we'll surely have the chance to check it out in person for you next month at the Geneva Motor Show. The new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer. 11.02.2015 With the new BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer, BMW has carved out yet another new vehicle segment. With its generous space, versatility and groundbreaking flexibility, the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer is the world's first premium compact model to offer up to seven seats and fully meet the mobility requirements of young families. Compact yet capacious.

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault e.dams wins Formula E Marrakesh ePrix, S. Korean Tesla store opens this month

Renault e.dams has won the 2016 Formula E Marrakesh ePrix. The win at the season's second round gives the team a strong lead with 74 points. ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport and Mahindra Racing are tied in second place with 36 points. Renault e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi took first place in the race, with teammate Nico Prost finishing fourth. "We know we have an efficient car and we had to take advantage of that after we started further back on the grid than we wanted," says Buemi. "I was able to extract everything I needed from the car and it shows the team is working really well, so it's been a very positive start to the season." Read more at Green Car Congress, or from Renault. Navigant Research has ranked the EV charging companies. Of the 12 companies providing public charging networks and services, Navigant has named The New Motion, ChargePoint, and EV-Box as "leaders" in the field based on market share, breadth of products, and market adaptability. Following that group of three are a group of "contenders," including Chargemaster, Fortum, Innology SE, Greenlots, Clever A/S, EVgo, POD Point, and SemaConnect. Trailing those is Car Charging Group in the "challengers" category. Read more at Green Car Congress. BMW has entered the second phase of its ChargeForward program to study advanced EV charging. In partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, BMW is inviting i3 and i8 owners in the San Francisco Bay Area to apply to participate in the second phase of the smart charging project, which aims to test technology that optimizes charging for the benefit of the electric grid. "By managing charging when a BMW i or iPerformance vehicle is plugged in – wherever the vehicle is plugged in – BMW can ensure that vehicles are efficiently charged to meet driver's communicated mobility needs while helping the grid reach greater levels of efficiency and sustainability," says BMW's Manager of Connected eMobility, Cliff Fietzek. Read more from BMW. Tesla will open its first Korean retail location this month. On November 29, Tesla plans to open a store in Starfield Hanam, South Korea's largest mall, in Gyeonggi Province. Tesla has also finished ground construction of a Supercharger station in the mall's parking area. Tesla is working to open another store in Seoul's Gangnam District, as well as charging stations around the country. Read more from The Country Caller.

Are you a BMW M4 GTS track car in disguise?

BMW is always happy to extract a little bit more gumption out of its M cars, just look at the latest 30th anniversary M5 or even the earlier CSL variants of the M3 for proof. Now, It looks like we might be getting the first glimpse of an even hotter M4, and it's wearing very interesting livery.
Our spies recently shot this M4 that could preview a future GTS version. It's all done up in MotoGP decals, but that might just be a ruse. This car sports a camouflaged lower air dam and rear wing, but those parts don't appear to be from an actual series safety car. The chin spoiler seems larger, and the rear wing is completely different. You can also spot an obvious Recaro logo on the driver's seat in one of the photos. Plus, the BMW emblem is removed at the back.
The disguised changes and odd choice of decals make this prototype incredibly weird. A BMW exec said at the beginning of the year that there were "no plans whatsoever to make a lighter, harder version just yet," of the M3 or M4, despite earlier rumors to the contrary. Check out the gallery to see what you think this is.