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Mercedes could make EV batteries with Audi, BMW

It's not a big leap from digital maps to batteries, it turns out.The head of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler said recently that he envisions his company working together with German automotive competitors BMW and Volkswagen to further accelerate electric-vehicle battery technology. The three automakers recently worked together to enhance their in-car maps systems. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche talked about "commonalities" between automakers, not the least of which is the need for all of them to achieve increasingly stringent fuel-economy requirements in the European Union, at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week, according to Reuters. While these companies have made their own inroads as far as plug-in vehicles go, they are all behind the Renault-Nissan Alliance when it comes to public deployment of electric vehicles. This summer, Daimler, Audi and BMW hooked up to acquire the Nokia Here digital-mapping service for about $2.8 billion. The triad of automakers beat out companies such as Apple and Uber to buy the entity, which was founded in 1986 as Navteq. Nokia bought the company in 2007. The acquisition makes sense as the automakers work on improving their products with features like cloud-based data to warn drivers of icy roads and traffic jams. The technology will likely also eventually be used in autonomous vehicles. Automakers working together for a common goal of improved technology is nothing new, of course. General Motors and Honda agreed in 2013 to work together to accelerate hydrogen fuel-cell drivetrain development. Earlier that same year, Daimler said it would work with Ford and Nissan in a separate collaboration to speed up the development of hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Related Video:

BMW negotiates Daimler alliance, buys out car-service partner Sixt

Sixt sells its stake in DriveNow car-sharing to BMW BMW in talks with Daimler to combine car-sharing Combining car-sharing business to aid robotaxi plans FRANKFURT — Germany's BMW has bought out partner Sixt from their joint venture DriveNow, paving the way for a broader car-sharing and driverless taxi alliance with Daimler to compete against Uber and Lyft. Car rental company Sixt said on Monday it would generate an extraordinary pre-tax profit of about 200 million euros ($248 million) in 2018 from the sale of the DriveNow stake to BMW for 209 million euros. "With DriveNow as a wholly-owned subsidiary, we have all options for continued strategic development of our services," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW's board member for Digital Business Innovation. "Our experience with mobility services supports our development of future autonomous, electrified and connected fleets," he said, adding that BMW aims to have 100 million customers for "premium mobility services" by 2025. The Sixt deal comes as BMW moves closer to a deal to combine its car-sharing services with Daimler's Car2Go, a person familiar with the discussions told Reuters last week. The German carmakers want to build a joint business that includes car sharing, ride-hailing, electric vehicle charging, and digital parking services, a senior executive at one of the companies said on Monday. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW declined comment on the status of potential talks on their car-sharing business. "This is speculation, we do not comment," BMW said. The senior executive, who declined to be named because the plan is not public, said: "This will create an ecosystem which can also be used for managing robotaxi (driverless taxi) fleets." BMW would contribute its ParkNow and ChargeNow businesses to the common company, the executive said, adding that there were still differences of opinion over the valuation of Car2Go. The market for ride-hailing services currently makes up around 33 percent of the global taxi market, and could grow eightfold to $285 billion by 2030, once autonomous robotaxis are in operation, Goldman Sachs said in a recent research note. BMW and Daimler are now working on developing autonomous cars, vehicles which could enable them to up-end the market for taxi and ride-hailing services.

BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage evokes classic 1970s Bimmer design

BMW enjoys taking advantage of the annual Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este as an opportunity to re-imagine some of company's vintage shapes in modern ways with concepts like the M1 Hommage, 328 Hommage, Concept 90 motorcycle, and even last year's Mini Superleggera. This year's event on the shores of Lake Como is no different, and the Bavarian brand is celebrating one of its great sports coupes from the 1970s with the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage. Bathed in a shade called Golf Yellow that perfectly evokes the era of the original, the Hommage's design seems to incorporate a few cues from the current 6 Series into the classic look of the 3.0 CSL. However, the front end is actually a little ungainly to our eyes due to the massive grille, and the fenders that fold up over the hood. The laser headlights are a great touch because their X-shaped centers are inspired by old racecars. The design improves significantly in profile and really starts to show the inspiration from the original 3.0 CSL. This concept has some beautiful rear haunches, and the big, creased fenders lead the eye to the massive rear wing. The back end also maintains much of the vintage design, including the roof spoiler, but the shape gets modern touches. So while the source of this inspiration was a bit angular, the lines have been gently curved for the Hommage. Of course, a CSL must be lightweight, as signified by the last letter in its name. Where the original uses aluminum and Plexiglas to shed pounds, the Hommage uses carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic parts throughout the body. The interior is also made from CFRP, and occupants sit in quilted racing buckets. An especially cool touch is the V-shaped cross-member at the back that evokes the look of a roll cage, while being a bit more artistic. The only indication that BMW is giving about the 3.0 CSL Hommage's powertrain is that it uses an inline six with eBoost, but as a concept the engine doesn't really matter, anyway. Get a good look at the whole design in the gallery above. BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage. Racing flair with a touch of class. Munich/Cernobbio. Amid the audacious design studies and automotive beauties from a bygone era gathered at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the BMW Group presents its new BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage – and in the process makes a pretty formidable statement of its own. This model is the BMW Design Team's tribute to the 3.0 CSL, a timeless classic and iconic BMW Coupe from the 1970s.