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BMW expounds on i8 design and performance in new videos

At this point, there isn't much we don't know about the 2015 BMW i8, so BMW is starting to focus its attention on reassuring consumers that the future of BMW won't abandon the past. In these two recently released videos, BMW answers questions prospective buyers might have about about the new model's design and performance.
In the design video, BMW explains how the i8's styling is intended to be practical, with aerodynamics and fuel efficiency in mind, yet still have a sporty and dynamic look. The performance video aims to show that the plug-in hybrid can be fuel efficient while still delivering plenty of performance, and it shows an animation about how the i8's drive systems work together. Scroll down to watch both videos on this bold green supercar.

BMW reacquires original factory as classic center

BMW was barely two years old when it started manufacturing airplane engines in a factory on Moosacher Strasse in Munich. Two years after that, it sold the factory to Knorr-Bremse AG, a leading manufacturer of brakes for trains and commercial vehicles, and BMW moved into a new facility on Lerchenauer Strasse. There it expanded into the industrial giant we know today, building engines for cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats and planes. It's taken the better part of a century to get that original factory back, but that's exactly what BMW has done, reacquiring the expanded facility from Knorr-Bremse this month.
The factory on Moonsacher Strasse will now serve as the headquarters for BMW Group Classic, the division that handles archives and historical vehicles for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce. From there, just a stone's throw from corporate headquarters and its main plant (as well as BMW Welt and the BMW Museum), the classic division's operations will include a restoration workshop, vintage parts store, the company's archives, administration as well as a place to hold events. In addition, there will be an exhibition space for historical vehicles from the company's considerable collection.
At the heart of the new/old campus is the gatehouse, which is a protected heritage site and will serve as a gateway into the company's history. Read the full details in the press release below.

2015 BMW M4 Coupe ditches some doors, gains some grunt

If you saw our earlier post about the hot new BMW M3 Sedan and were about to call blasphemy for no coupe version, just settle down, silly. Remember: BMW now badges its two-door 3 Series models with the number four, and thus, meet the 2015 M4 Coupe. Looks hot, right?
So yeah, it's pretty much just the M3 with two less doors, but that doesn't make it any less important - or potent. Power comes from a turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, sending 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. You know, the usual.
Not only is the M4 more powerful than the M3 Coupe it replaces, it's a good deal lighter, too. BMW has managed to cut 176 pounds of weight out of the M4, and that means, with the increased output numbers, that the M4 will scoot to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds with the DCT or 4.1 seconds with the do-it-yourself tranny. Either way, that's not what we'd call slow.