BMW VISION NEXT 100

From Munich, we bring you live photos of the newly unveiled BMW VISION NEXT 100. The futuristic high-tech concept debuted today in front of thousands of people from around the world who gathered in Munich to celebrate the brand’s 100th birthday.

BMW’s vision for the next 100 years is a sporting sedan since sedans are at BMW’s core, according to Adrian von Hooydonk – BMW Group Chief Designer. BMW Vision Next 100 is also autonomous, shape-shifting and powered by an unnamed drivetrain.

The car has two driving modes, one of them involving fully autonomous functions. But even when you’re driving, you’re in ‘Boost Mode’ with augmented-reality guiding you, projecting the ideal steering line and speed onto the windscreen. The augmented-reality display will also project hidden hazards into your field of view.

In Ease Mode, the car transforms physically, moving the steering wheel out of the way, relaxing the center console away from the driver, and making seats and door panels feel like a lounge setting

An intelligent “Companion” component studies the driving style and preferences of the primary driver of the car so that it can eventually perform some daily tasks and offer advice about how best to complete others. It will also be able to communicate with humans outside the car, like signaling pedestrians when it is safe to cross in front of the car.

BMW Vision Next 100 will travel from Germany to be displayed in Beijing, London, and Los Angeles over the course of the yea

BMW M4 by Supreme Power gets some aftermarket goodies

BMW’s first M4 Coupe is only two years old, but it has already become one of the most tuned and modified BMW on the market. …

BMW’s first M4 Coupe is only two years old, but it has already become one of the most tuned and modified BMW on the market. Replacing the highly successful and praised E92 M3, the M4 offers the perfect platform for tuning shops around the world to design for a variety of aftermarket parts.

The folks over at Supreme Power are the latest to reveal a project based on the M4 Coupe. This Alpine White M4 features an RKP 2×2 front lip and a Varis rear lower diffuser, while the front grilles, side markers, and rear badges are all replaced by black IND elements.

Inside, the sporty coupe includes a BMW M Performance steering wheel, carbon trims, and M Performance DCT gear shifter.

These high-quality and good looking carbon fiber aero parts are combined with a set of custom wheels. The HRE R101 wheels in sizes 19×10 inch up front and 19×12 out back, are finished in a brushed gold.

A KW Clubsport 2-way adjustable suspension enhances the sporty look of the M4.

An Akrapovic Evolution exhaust system complete with downpipes ensure the M4 sounds just as good as it looks.

Are current oil prices a threat to the Electric Car?

Back in the 1990’s, the economy was booming, oil prices were low and Americans were buying up SUVs like Tic Tacs. Ford was selling about a bazillion …

Back in the 1990’s, the economy was booming, oil prices were low and Americans were buying up SUVs like Tic Tacs. Ford was selling about a bazillion (that’s a technical term) Explorers, Chevy couldn’t make Suburbans fast enough and even Land Rover was booming in the US. But it wasn’t just the US, the entire world was buying sports cars and SUVs, as gas was cheap. So BMW jumped into the party with the X5 and it instantly became a hit. Mercedes-Benz and Audi followed suit, so did Lexus and Acura. Every luxury automaker jumped in.

And then the recessions happened.

Oil prices sky-rocketed, causing people to dump SUVs and buy hybrids or EVs. So BMW, Tesla and the rest of the automotive world invested billions of dollars into hybrid and battery technology, trying to create EVs for our modern, oil-starved world. And they were doing well. Tesla launched the Model S, which sent the brand into super-stardom, BMW created the i Division, with the i3 and i8, which exploded in popularity. Things were looking good for EVs. Now, though, gas prices are falling, as oil becomes cheaper and cheaper, and people are starting to go back to SUVs and sports cars.

At the moment, gas is cheap. If your car takes regular, it’s likely $20 bucks will fill your tank, probably even cheaper than that. It’s a good time to own a sports car or SUV right now (why wasn’t it this cheap when I was commuting?) and it’s having a serious effect on the global automobile market. Last year, BMW sold more X5s than 3 Series’ in Australia, and did incredibly well with SUVs across the globe. Sports cars are also doing well, as people aren’t afraid to spend money on superfluous fuel costs.

With SUVs and sports cars taking a rise in sales, as oil prices continue to drop, is this the 1990’s all over again? Or are we getting ahead of ourselves a bit?

It’s quite possible that oil prices will jump back up. A recent US bill proposal could raise the tax on oil by up to $10 per barrel. The bill’s intention is to use that money to invest heavily in a network of environmentally-friendly mass transit, such as high-speed rails and self-driving cars. However, there’s a good possibility that the tax increase could be felt by the consumer, with a possible 25 cent price bump per gallon. While we’re at record lows for our time, this would still be enough to get people thinking about electric cars again. Which is precisely the idea of the bill, actually.

However, oil prices aren’t the only reason why people buy EVs and hybrids. Many customers want to keep up with the latest technology and feel that fossil-fuels are outdated. In a way, they’re right. EVs and hybrids are the future, whether that future be distant or not. Many customers would also rather stay environmentally friendly, regardless of oil prices, and reduce their emissions for the sake of the planet. Which is admirable. And automakers will have to continue to invest in hybrid technology, despite booming SUV sales, because of the ever-stricter growing emissions regulations across the globe.

But it is interesting to see what will happen in oil continues to stay inexpensive. As EVs become cheaper, which they will by as soon as 2022, and they become more prevalent, oil prices will likely fall even more. As the demand for oil drops, oil companies will have no choice but to lower their oil costs to keep people interested in dinosaur-sourced fuel. So is it possible that the continued decrease in oil costs could hurt the sales, and possibly even development, of electric and hybrid vehicles?

F80 BMW M3 Competition Package spotted in Manhattan

The upcoming F80 BMW M3 Competition Package was spotted in Manhattan. Judging by the Georgia license plates, the car belongs to a BMW Of North …

The upcoming F80 BMW M3 Competition Package was spotted in Manhattan. Judging by the Georgia license plates, the car belongs to a BMW Of North America employee who’s lucky enough to have this as a daily driver.

The Competition Package includes Adaptive M Suspension – which has been extensively tuned to the enhanced performance and handling – new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, along with reconfigured driving modes (Comfort, Sport and Sport+). BMW also retuned the electronic differential and the Dynamic Stability Control to match the upgraded hardware.

Exclusive forged, machine-polished, weight- and rigidity-optimized 20-inch M alloy wheels – front 9J × 20; rear 10 J × 20 – with exclusive multi-spoke 666 M styling and mixed tires (front: 265/30 R20, rear: 285/30 R20) complete the list of chassis upgrades.

An M sports exhaust system with black chrome tailpipes and a louder growl is included in the price as well.

The M3 seen here also comes with the amazing Carbon Ceramic brakes.

he 444 horsepower (450 hp in Europe) will cost $5,500 for the M3 sedan and M4 Coupe, and $5,000 for the M4 Convertible.

BMW’s Individual Manufaktur program will make you anything

BMW’s Individual Manufaktur program is one of the most extensive customization programs that any automaker has to offer. Through BMW’s Individual program, owners can choose …

BMW’s Individual Manufaktur program is one of the most extensive customization programs that any automaker has to offer. Through BMW’s Individual program, owners can choose from a variety of different paint colors, interior appointments and trims to really make their car stand out from the sea of regular ones on the road. Obviously, this program adds significant cost to the end of the car’s MSRP, but it could be worth it to many customers who want their car to really stand out.

But just how crazy BMW’s Individual program can go is surprising. Weird even.

Often times, when customizing a car for a client, BMW’s DesignWorks team has to purchase two BMWs, customize both and then crash test one, to make sure that the customizations don’t interfere with safety equipment. For instance, if a customer wants a BMW 750i with snakeskin leather on the dashboard, BMW needs to crash test the car to make sure the airbag can deploy properly through the different material. So BMW has to sacrifice a car in the name of customization, which hurts my car enthusiast soul. “We have requests all the time where we have to sacrifice cars,” Says Alexandra “Sandy” McGill, BMW DesignWorks lead designer.

That means that these customizations can be unbelievable expensive, possibly up to $150,000 extra on top of the price of the car. However, simpler customizations, like custom color leather and stitching only costs about $10,000 over the standard price. So it’s affordable within reason.

But BMW’s DesignWorks team doesn’t just stop at leather color and stitching, if you can dream it up, it’s likely that the DesignWorks team can create it. For a price, obviously. For example, a recent Fortune 500 CEO had McGill and her team at DesignWorks create a dog bed in the same Merino leather and color as the interior of their 7 Series. “It’s probably the most expensive dog bed ever built,” says McGill. There really isn’t much of a limit to what you can do through BMW’s Individual program, as long as you’re willing to pay. For instance, you can have the wood trim replaced with reclaimed wine barrel wood (which sounds awesome, as the color would be tremendous) or even have the seats embroidered with whatever logo, crest or picture you can think of.

Once you’ve finalized your design and the DesignWorks team in California approves it, they send the specs to BMW who develops it in Munich. You can the either have the car shipped to you or you can go pick it up in Munich, the latter of which McGill recommends. “They really put out the red carpet,” says McGill. “It’s something like a Hollywood premiere.” We’ve featured a few articles on BMW’s European Delivery program and it really does seem worth it and, if you’re going to spend the extra money and time customizing your BMW, why not go and get it in Munich?

Overall, BMW’s Individual Manufaktur program seems to be one of the most extensive, if no the most, in the business and the incredible team at DesignWorks seems to be able to create masterpieces out of strange requests. If you have the scratch and want something unique, BMW’s Individual program is for you.

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