At the recent LA Auto Show, BMW displayed a three-door concept version of the sub-compact model named the i3 Coupe, and it is this car that CarScoop reader Alfred H. spotted on the road this week.
Read more »
The i3 was previewed by a concept study at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The prototype is powered by a 170HP electric motor, although BMW has revealed that the production model will also feature a range-extending gasoline engine that will work as a battery generator.
That much you may know as the Munich-based automaker has been promoting its i sub-brand heavily, the most recent example being the i3 Coupe, a three-door version of the 2011 study.
Read more »
That said, the 4-Series a 99 percent production ready version of the car that will begin to replace the 3-Series Coupe in BMW's range from 2014. The concept will bow at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January.
Read more »
The brand with the roundel logo says it ditched the 3-Series Coupe moniker in favor of the “4” because it wants to differentiate it from its compact saloon and at the same time, underline the new model’s stature in its line-up that will use even numbers for coupes (or four-door sports saloons in the case of the Gran Coupes).
The new 4-Series measures 4,641 mm long, 1,826 mm wide and 1,362 mm tall, which means it’s longer (by 29 mm /1.1 inches), broader (by 44 mm /1.7 inches) and lower (by 16 mm / 0.6 inches) than the current 3-Series Coupe.
Compared to the model it will replace, it also boasts a 50 mm (2-inch) longer wheelbase that stands at 2,850 mm. Moreover, its 1,545 mm front and 1,593 mm rear tracks are 45 and 80 mm (1.8 and 3.1 inches) wider respectively.
What we have here is a cosmetically modified version of BMW revamped X1 compact crossover, supposedly designed for cold weather sports enthusiasts.
Read more »
The i3 Concept Coupe will make its world premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, with the Bavarian automaker stating that it "demonstrates the potential for conceivably extending the model range", which in other words, means, expect a similar model to be added to the i3's range in the very near future.
While keeping the 5d model's lightweight structure and 2,570mm (101.2 inches) long wheelbase, BMW says that the Coupe has a "has a broader, lower-slung look". The designers also eliminated the see-through panels on the doors and the lower section of the rear tailgate.
The i3 Coupe study measures 3,964mm (156.1 inches) in length, 1,768mm (69.6 inches) wide and 1,555mm (61.2 inches) tall, making it roughly the same size as a Ford Fiesta hatchback.
If things turn sour, by 2025 we might very well have a Judge Dredd-like scenario with a police state trying to maintain the law in urban jungles. If, on the other hand, all those wishes for world peace eventually come true, police officers will have a much more relaxing job.
Read more »
Now we come to hear from Autoweek magazine that the (supposedly) sporty looking crossover will debut in near-production form as a thinly disguised concept at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show in January, before it hits global markets the following year.
Read more »
At the recent Paris Motor Show, BMW sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson told reporters that the new three-cylinder engine “behaves like a six-cylinder, is half-of a six-cylinder and has the noise of a six-cylinder”.
Want more? Here is another quote from BMW regarding the gasoline version of the 1.5-liter twin-turbocharged unit that will be offered in outputs ranging from 120Hp to 220Hp:
Read more »
The X1-based Concept K2 Powder Ride was created by BMW in collaboration with winter sport equipment supplier K2 in celebration of their partnership that began in 2009. It blends bespoke exterior and interior features with an exclusive roof structure.
Read more »
BMW apparently thinks the same way; that’s why the Active Tourer Concept that premiered at the Paris Auto Show toady breaks with the Bavarian carmaker’s tradition by offering front-wheel drive.
The automaker claims that its latest study “offers an initial insight into innovations for the premium compact segment… in terms of both the interior and the drive concept.”
Read more »
To answer the first question you are most likely to have about the Paris Motor Show-bound Active Tourer study, yes, it is intended for production - likely as a 1-Series model with the Gran Turismo moniker that is used by BMW on its more practical vehicles. One of its more direct rivals will be the Mercedes-Benz B-Class small MPV.
But that's not what makes the Active Tourer Concept really special, what does is its platform that will be shared with the next generation of Mini-branded cars and BMW's decision to break with tradition and enter the realm of front-wheel drive models.
The German magazine itself has issued a teaser of the upcoming issued but has darkened the car (see image below).
The vehicle pictured here is evidently a concept with the only fake feature we could find being the license plate – a common practice among car magazines in Europe to make readers think that the concept is a production model.
If real, the Active Sports Tourer Concept should be a thinly disguised version of the upcoming BMW 1-Series tall hatchback that may or may not sport the Gran Turismo nameplate when it enters production next year.
Read more »
You have likely already seen the pictures of the BMW Zagato Roadster, but YouTube user "BrianZuk" captured the open-top model on film at the famed California show.
Read more »
The fruit of this collaboration, which appeared in an obscure teaser image a couple of days ago, is a roadster version of the Zagato Coupe that we saw in Italy. One may assume that BMW and Zagato have simply taken that car and chopped off the roof (which would be ironic, since the Z4 is a roadster), but this is not the case.
The BMW Zagato Roadster, which was constructed in just six weeks, certainly looks a lot like its fixed-roof sibling.
But that's not a bad thing as the aggressive, “three dimensional” (in Zagato talk) front end with the large air intakes, contoured hood with integral air scoops, the black A-pillars, the sculpted sides and the overall solid stance and minimal overhangs of the concept make for a muscular look.
Read more »
While we continue to be short on details, the darkened photo leaves few doubts about the type of model BMW and Zagato have prepared.
Read more »
Unfortunately, there's no teaser image of the new concept (what you see above is a shot from the previous BMW Zagato Z4) while BMW isn't willing to release any details about the car just yet.
Read more »
We'll get straight to the point and let you know what Matthew Russell, Product and Technology Communications Manager for BMW North America, told Carscoop about the Z3 M V12 after he did some digging of his own:
"The car was built in 1999 and was the proof that all engine sizes of the time fit in the roadster," said Russell. "It was shown only once: in August 1999 to the German car magazine Autozeitung."
As we rightly assumed, the ultimate M model of the Z3 roadster series borrowed BMW's M73 5.4-liter V12 engine from the E38 750i/iL sedans and E38 850Ci coupe of the mid-1990s to early 2000s.
Read more »
If this holds true, then the Bavarians will likely present the final production model later in the same year – possibly at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show – and put it up for sale by spring of 2014 for Europe and later in the year for the rest of the world.
Read more »
