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BMW planning X4 M Performance diesel? [w/poll]

With the arrival of the new X4 in March, BMW will expand its crossover portfolio by one more model. But while some enthusiasts may have been disappointed by the news that the Bavarian automaker isn't likely to authorize an M version of the compact slantback crossover, this latest development could help bridge the gap.
Although the line used to be quite clear between standard BMWs and M models, Munich has been blurring it with the M Performance treatment. Those have included models like the M135i hatchback and M235i coupe, the diesel-powered M550d sedan and wagon and X5 and X6 M50d crossovers. Now word has it that BMW could follow a similar formula with the X4, creating a sub-M performance model.
What's more is that the X4 M Performance model could go diesel, following a similar formula that Audi undertook with its first performance crossover, the SQ5 TDI. The major difference here is that when Audi brought the SQ5 to these shores, it ditched the diesel for a gasoline engine. Could BMW do the same?

BMW details Concept X5 eDrive ahead of New York debut

Already weighing more than most other types of vehicles and with the space to accommodate the extra equipment, crossovers and SUVs arguably make for one of the more ideal platforms to transform into a hybrid. And there have been a handful of them - like the Audi Q5, Infiniti QX60/Nissan Pathfinder, Porsche Cayenne/Volkswagen Touareg, Lexus RX450h/Toyota Highlander and Cadillac Escalade/Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon - but by and large the majority of hybrids on the market are sedans and hatchbacks. BMW, however, looks poised to join the minority with the X5.
The Bavarian automaker showcased the X5 eDrive concept at Frankfurt last year, and as promised, has now revealed the followup it will present at the New York Auto Show in just a few days. The new Concept X5 eDrive, as BMW has now revealed, pairs a 2.0-liter turbo four good for 245 horsepower to a 95-hp electric motor to deliver a combined 340 horsepower. Its lithium-ion battery can power it for up to 20 miles and at speeds up to 75 miles per hour before the gasoline engine needs to kick in. All that without sacrificing the vehicle's utility, maintaining an almost perfectly flat loading floor with 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats, and without sacrificing much on performance, either: with a 0-62 time of seven seconds flat, the X5 eDrive concept is quicker off the line than the production X5 with the 2.5-liter turbodiesel and just a tenth off of the 3.0-liter turbodiesel.
With the full technical details now released (you can delve into it all in the press release below), the only question remains when BMW will actually put the X5 eDrive into production. Given its appearance in New York, though, we gather that whenever it does reach showrooms, it'll reach American ones as well.

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.