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2015 BMW X4 configurator is ready to get personal

The 2015 BMW X4 configurator is ready for your special touch. Starting with the 300-horsepower xDrive35i that starts at $48,925 after destination, our special touch aimed at a luxury cruiser and added $9,250 to proceedings for a final tally of $58,175. That got us the Technology, Lighting and Driver Assistance packages, navigation and enhanced USB and smartphone integration. We were tempted to go for the Dynamic Damping Control for just $1,000 and a set of 20-inch M Double Spoke Wheels, but the configurator didn't want to mix the M Sport Line with our Sparkling Brown metallic exterior hue so we skipped it.
We've covered the details on pricing and the breakdown of the order guide elsewhere, so you can always click through for refreshers. Or you can skip all those words and dive straight into trying to build an X4 that makes you say, "Yeah, now I get it."

What does the open patents deal mean for Tesla ... and BMW?

Gift to the world or trade bait? Tesla Motors announced this week it would open its patents for other automakers to use. That has analysts guessing whether the California-based electric-vehicle maker is looking to either swap trade secrets with other automakers or to expand the proverbial pie that represents the plug-in vehicle market. For its part, Tesla says the answer is B. BMW, which is establishing its i sub-brand of plug-in vehicles, would be a natural collaborator with Tesla, Forbes says. In fact, executives from the two companies met in Europe this week. Details were not released, but a BMW spokesman said, "Both companies are strongly committed to the success of electromobility and discussed how to further strengthen the development of electromobility on an international level." While Tesla brings battery technology to the table, BMW offers its carbon-fiber advancements that lighten vehicle-body weight. Those advancements are key to range-extending efforts and could do wonders for Tesla on its journey to help spur technology for the sake of getting more of the general public to accept plug-in technology as a viable first-car option. Then again, Forbes says Tesla, whose investors include Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Toyota, may be keeping its best technologies to itself by not patenting certain advancements at all. What's in Tesla's patent pool? uAutoInsurance analyzed Tesla's 249 patents and found that 104 of them related to battery technology, while 28 pertained to recharging activity, which wasn't surprising (about a quarter of those 249 patents couldn't readily be categorized). Tesla also has nine patents related to sunroof technology. The company is based in California, after all.

BMW heads for the waves with Path 22 concept bike

BMW has been reminding us in the grandest of style recently of the serious clout it has in the classic motorcycle field. Most important is the R NineT that it put into production, but it's also been giving us a steady stream of enticing concept bikes, like the Concept 90 retro racer and the more recent Concept 101 custom bagger. And now it's showcasing another. This time, BMW Motorrad has taken a page out of the scrambler playbook with the Concept Path 22. Based on the R NineT, this concept bike is designed for surfers in impressive 1950s style. It features a single-side swing arm rear suspension, a classic circular headlamp, reprofiled tank and seat, studded tires, an oversized front wheel, longer fork travel, and a raised exhaust. It also has a unique paint job by Ornamental Conifer, and a pair of surf boards designed by Dyer Brand and mounted to a collapsible bracket on the side. Meant to showcase just one possibility for customizing the R NineT, the concept bike is named (and numbered) after one of Europe's premier surfing spots. It is being unveiled – appropriately enough – at the Wheels & Waves Festival in Biarritz, France. BMW Concept Path 22 – The Expression of Freedom. Munich/Biarritz. From June 11th - 14th 2015, the Wheels & Waves Festival celebrates for the fourth time a unique meeting of custom bikes, surfing and art in Biarritz. The festival is a great event that provides a straightforward opportunity for people to get together in a unique atmosphere and express their lifestyle of freedom and individuality. In this special setting, BMW Motorrad presents the BMW interpretation of a scrambler for the first time: the BMW Concept Path 22. Expression of a Lifestyle. The first scramblers in the 1950s were modified road machines with deep-treaded tyres, somewhat increased spring travel and a raised exhaust for off-road riding. These features gave the bikes a characteristic appearance that came to symbolise an attitude. "A scrambler is the perfect match for Wheels & Waves. It's the epitome of a motorcycle beyond established standards and conventions. Performance specifications are not so much of interest - style and originality all the more so. Scramblers express passion and are as varied as their owners. The Concept Path 22 is our own interpretation based on the R nineT. The latter is the perfect basis for a scrambler conversion", explains Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design.