2007 - Bmw M6 on 2040-cars

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Rinspeed Budii Concept is a rolling smorgasbord of future tech [w/video]

There's a strange dichotomy going on inside the Rinspeed Budii Concept. Actually, there's a slew of seemingly mismatched ideas, but that seems par for the course when it comes to the mind of Frank Rinderknecht, no? For instance, there's a manual-wind Manero PowerReserve watch embedded in the cabin, which seems quaint, considering the high-tech nature of the car's design and intent. A high-resolution camera apparently "recognizes" when the watch is getting low on power, and a robotic arm "uses ingenious motions to wind the movement" of the watch. Seriously. The aforementioned robotic arm is a seven-axis unit that can "reach out" to the driver or passenger so that they can take over driving duties from the autonomous car. In this way, the occupants can choose to put their lives under the control of the "cognitive and intuitive autopilot" provided by a telescoping laser scanner and a high-res camera that map the car's surroundings, or to make their own "ethical" driving decisions. We kind of assume that refers to the current autonomous-driving question of the times: whether or not to save the lives inside the car our outside of it in case of emergency. If all of that sounds suitably high-tech, you should also know that the "feel-good lounge atmosphere" of the interior features removable plexiglass work surfaces inside, folding blinds for privacy that are custom printed with user-selectable designs, air outlets with ambient lighting, a "wellness shower in the headliner" (whatever that means) and a center console with – you guessed it – cup holders. The platform on which all of this is based is the all-electric BMW i3 hatchback. If all of that sounds intriguing, we suggest you read all about it in the press release below and take it all in via the included image galleries. 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.

BMW M850i Convertible, VW Tiguan and Easter Jeep Safari concepts | Autoblog Podcast #669

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. This week, they've been driving the BMW M850i xDrive Convertible and VW Tiguan. In the news, Peugeot isn't coming to the U.S. after all, Harley-Davidson has a CPO program, Jeep teased some Easter Safari concepts and Kia's got a big fire problem. Finally, they help a listener choose a replacement for a Nissan 350Z in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #669 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars We're Driving 2021 BMW M850i xDrive Convertible 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan News Peugeot's U.S. return officially canned as Stellantis doubles down on Alfa Romeo Harley-Davidson launches CPO program to entice younger buyers Jeep teases 'Magneto' and other concepts for Easter Jeep Safari Kia tells 380,000 more owners to park their cars outside due to fire risk Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: Green Podcasts BMW Jeep Kia Peugeot Convertible Coupe Crossover Motorcycle SUV Concept Cars Electric Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance

BMW i8 with 500+ horsepower in the cards?

While BMW makes plenty of machinery to keep enthusiasts interested, its most enticing models are often based on more ordinary ones. That's what made the arrival of the i8 so captivating, emerging as the first stand-alone BMW sports coupe since the M1. But if its dual purpose - trying its best to both embrace the earth and traverse it rapidly - somehow left you disappointed, the next development could prove to fix that.
According to Automobile, BMW is working on a more potent i8S model. The hardcore version of the hybrid sports car would offer more power and a stiffened chassis to make it that much more aggressive. The Bavarian automaker is reportedly still evaluating two potential powertrain options: The first would pair a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder good for 320 horsepower to an electric motor with another 204 hp. The second would use a 3.0-liter straight six with 480 hp and an electric motor with 109 hp. Both would be mated to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and an integrated starter motor packing an extra 27 hp.
Either way, we'd be looking at a combined output well in excess of 500 horsepower - far more than the existing i8's 228-hp turbo three and 129-hp electric motor - dropping the 0-62 time down from 4.1 seconds to an estimated 3.5. Couple that to a more advanced carbon chassis, wider tires and other goodies, and the i8 would be transformed into a far more capable performance machine than it already is.