bmw

According to its specs, the new BMW M6 will hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, yet get an average of 24 mpg.

That fuel economy number comes from the European Combined Test Cycle, and will probably be somewhat less under the U.S. EPA test. But those numbers illustrate what technology can do for a sport car, especially considering the M6 weighs in at over 4,000 pounds.

The secret to the M6's success is a 4.4-liter V-8 with two twin scroll turbochargers. BMW designed an exhaust manifold that ducts the exhaust gases from two cylinders on … Read more

BMW iVentures officially opened the doors to its New York office this week, and inaugurated its new space with a panel discussion on digital technology and mobility.

The $100 million fund has already seeded U.K.-based Parkatmyhouse.com and MyCityWay, which will lease space in BMW's trendy West Village office. The firm plans to invest primarily in urban mobility technologies to solve the transportation needs of the future. But the hot topic of the evening was, of all things, parking.

Speaking in front of an audience made up mostly of VC groupies and techies angling for a free drink and an introduction to fund managers, panelists seemed to unanimously agree that the practice of finding a place to park your car was 20 years behind the times. In an industry where advanced technology is considered a gate or the capability to take a credit card, there is obviously a lot of room for improvement. … Read more

I know there are many who look forward to the days when all cars are self-driving.

These are people who seem to believe that technology can not only solve every problem, but actually make life better. Another description for these people is, well, Prius drivers.

It is surely no coincidence that Google's self-driving car experiment seems to be performed exclusively on the exclusive car of the self-righteous. Indeed, one Prius owner in my neighborhood actually has the license plate "Smug Car." I am quite serious about this.

So I bring fine news to those who are intrigued … Read more

My iPhone, with 8GB of memory, can hold about 1,700 tracks. A BMW's internal hard drive has room for almost 3,000 tracks. Now, BMW's new Mog integration puts 14 million tracks at a driver's fingertips.

I sat in the driver's seat of a 2012 BMW 650i, with Robert Passaro, the head of BMW's App Center, in the passenger seat. But we weren't going anywhere. Our entire focus was on the stereo.

Passaro slotted an iPhone 4S into the BMW's cradle, nestled in the console compartment. Tapping the Mog icon on the … Read more

Green Car Journal dubbed the Ford C-MAX Energi winner of the 2012 Green Car Vision Award yesterday at the Washington Auto Show. This is the second consecutive year Ford has won top honors; the Ford Focus Electric garnered the award last year.

The Ford C-MAX Energi, which will be available in late 2012, is built on the same global C-car platform as the Ford Focus and future Ford models, the automaker said.

The C-MAX Energi bested four other finalists, including the BMW i3, the Cadillac ELR, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell, and the Tesla Model S.

"The C-MAX Energi delivers … Read more

When the X6 launched, it was an odd-enough shape and so lacking in utility that even BMW did not count on it being a big seller.

But ahead of the 2013 model update, BMW points to the more than 20,000 of the cars sold in the U.S. as a measure of its success. Essentially an X5 with reduced utility, the first-generation X6 played up to a bad-boy image.

Now BMW has released some photos ahead of the launch of the 2013 X6, and the styling changes make it look more conservative, with a front end similar to that of the 5 Series. Does this mean the X6 will start getting beaten up in the parking lot by Porsche Cayennes?… Read more

As car makers look for ways to replace unsightly buttons or add more controls without crowding the center stack, researchers are turning to smart fabric.

The driver's seat has always been synonymous with total control, and that could become even more true as manufacturers begin embedding controls into its fabric. Researchers at the Polytechnic School in Montreal, Canada, have developed a soft polymer-based fiber with electrical properties that can be woven into fabric, according to an article in New Scientist.

Smart fabrics are becoming more mainstream, and touch sensitive fabric isn't new. But creating a durable fabric that … Read more

With only 700 ActiveEs to lease, you'll have to move fast if you want to be one of BMW's electric pioneers.

Months later than expected, BMW officially opened the order books for the all-electric ActiveE field trial today. The manufacturer was supposed to take reservations last year, but delayed it to streamline the delivery process. The first electric sedan has already been delivered to EV veterans Tom and Meredith Moloughney, who lease an electric MiniE from the manufacturer. If you think you're ready to go electric, don't drag your feet--availability will be on a first-come, first-served … Read more

Thermaltake has a new Level 10 product and it's just as avant-garde as its Level 10 case.

Like the radical case, the Level 10 M Mouse is created jointly with BMW's design consultancy, DesignworksUSA. It's the first of a new series of gaming peripherals from this collaboration and it will be launched early this year.

Judging from the images that have been released, its open design--with a perforated surface that allows some ventilation for those with sweaty palms--is unlike any mouse we have seen. Its main selling point is that users can adjust the height and the angle of the mouse body by turning a screw. … Read more