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BMW i3 takes to the track, circles it in a way you don't expect

So, who wants to see a BMW i3 race around a track. That's what we thought. It's not a long video, but it is entertaining, and the way the urban EV does a 'loop' at second 25 certainly caught out eye. The i3 is scheduled to go on sale in the US later this year and will start at $41,350. The diminutive electric vehicle has a top speed of 93 miles per hour and can hit 62 mph in 7.2 seconds. We found it a hoot to drive, but we're not sure if hardcore BMW performance fans will totally 'get' this car's performance. The i3 is great at what it does, but it wasn't born to hit the race track. After seeing this video, though, we want a crack at it, skinny wheels and all. You can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse here, where Chris Neff writes, "The i3 basically turns in on itself. This is one sharp turning radius, take a look at 24 seconds into the video. We were actually trying to get the i3 to do doughnuts, but the computer would not let the rear brake loose, still, you can see how it held and how sharp we were turning....about 27 times in a row." Watch all 49 seconds below. And wonder with us if whatever aerial device was used to get the shot that ends at four seconds in was destroyed just after the video cuts away.

BMW revisits its 8 Series

So why would BMW choose July 2 to release a retrospective on the 8 Series? Could it have something to do with the recent unveiling of the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe concept, another sleek, B-pillarless V12 two-door, at this year's Villa d'Este? We have no idea, but the timing is likely coincidental.
This three-minute look at the 8 Series talks to Niels Hamann, who was smitten with the long-hooded coupe when it appeared in 1989 and finally bought one in 2004. Hamann also happens to be a project manager at BMW, and that came in handy when he wrote a book detailing every aspect of what was BMW's flagship for ten years but to the chagrin of many only managed one generation.
While we wait for the next clue about the Gran Lusso - 8 Series connection, check out the video below.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.