BMW i8 Concept (2011)

This is the BMW i8 Concept, a near-production preview of Munich’s new plug-in hybrid supercar. Audi and Mercedes might have stolen a march on BMW with the R8 and SLS respectively, but while its rivals prepare limited-run electric versions of their supercars, BMW is putting this i8 into proper mass production in just two years time. The BMW i8, and its i3 EV sibling, will be revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September.

So this BMW i8 supercar is a plug-in hybrid?

That’s right. The BMW i8 uses a modified version of the electric motor found in the i3, albeit now mounted over its front axle, and tuned to produce 129bhp and 184lb ft. And don’t worry, there’s a petrol engine too: it’s a turbocharged 1.5-litre triple, with 220bhp and 221lb ft being sent to the rear wheels. That means 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a 155mph top speed, but 104mpg and 66g/km on the official EU fuel cycle.

Like the i3, the i8 features BMW’s new LifeDrive architecture, with aluminium structures and a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell. But rather than the passenger compartment mounted above the lithium-ion batteries – as per the i3 – the low-slung nature of this plug-in supercar means the battery packs run through the middle of the car and is contained in an ‘energy tunnel’ similar to a conventional transmission tunnel.

There are fewer batteries than on the i3, so the EV range is only around 20 miles, but the lithium-ion units can also be charged from a conventional plug in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

What else?

The front-mounted motor and rear engine means the i8 can be front-, rear- or four-wheel drive, and BMW is claiming a 50:50 weight distribution. There’s room inside for four, but the layout is really a 2+2 so don’t count on taking this supercar on a Grand Tour with the family. Or even the other half – there’s only a 150-litre boot.

Size-wise the i8 is 4632mm long, a mere 1280mm tall, and 1955mm wide, so it’s a little bigger than an Audi R8 in all directions. But the 1480kg kerbweight means it’s 80kg lighter than Ingolstadt’s V8-engined supercar.

Does the i8 have cool supercar doors?

It does, and they’re lovely butterfly doors. The rest of the styling has changed little since the EfficientDynamics concept was unveiled, and beyond the transparent surfaces and aero elements there are ‘AirCurtains’ to ensure optimum air flow around the wheel arches, aeroflaps in the sills behind the front wheels, and a completely smooth underbody, all of which are claimed to substantially reduce drag.

Both the i3 and i8 feature a ‘three-layer’ interior, with the outer, supporting structures in white, the inner layer consisting of the seats and storage areas, and the black level inbetween made up of the instrument panels and other technical elements. There’s an 8.8in screen for the instrument panel, and a 8.8in central screen.

The i8 also features BMW’s new Front Protection system, with a camera that scans the road ahead and warns of potential collisions – it can also detect pedestrians below 37mph and brake the car. Parking Assistant steers and manoeuvres the i8 into tight spaces without you need to do anything, and Traffic Jam Assistant steers, accelerates and brakes you in traffic jams at speeds up to 25mph, as long as you keep one hand on the wheel. Plus the ‘Last Mile Navigation’ system can guide you on foot for the last steps of your journey, and the ‘Intermodal Route Planning’ finds your best sat-nav route using private and public transport.

There’s no word yet on prices, but reckon on £100k-£120k when sales start in 2013.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/BMW-i8-Concept-2011-first-official-pictures/

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BMW M3 DTM Concept Car (2011)

This is BMW’s M3 DTM Concept Car, a taster of the near-500bhp racer that will compete in the 2012 DTM (German Touring Car) series. Unveiled at BMW Welt in Munich, it signals BMW's return to the DTM after a two-decade absence; between 1987 and 1992, the BMW M3 won 40 races and had over 150 podium finishes in Germany's premier tin-top series.

Does this new BMW M3 DTM car bear any resemblance to a road-going M3?

Not really, although the new 2012 DTM regulations demand that all cars must use a certain number of standard parts – it’s one of the reasons BMW has re-entered the series. The M3 DTM concept features a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic monocoque (CFRP) with a steel roll cage, a six-speed sequential gearbox, and as per DTM regulations, a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8. With air restrictors in place, the eight-cylinder engine produces around 480bhp, and BMW reckons its new M3 racer will hit 62mph in around three seconds and top 186mph.

BMW Motorsport also claims it has been able to ‘call upon the immense technical resources of the BMW Group and apply their innovation to establish performance advantages over their rivals in areas such as engine and aerodynamics’. Massive rear wing notwithstanding, the DTM-spec M3 is 160mm longer than the road car (at 4775mm), those ridiculously blistered wheelarches up the width from 1804mm to 1950mm, and depending on the ride height set-up at each circuit, it’s a mere 1200mm tall (1424mm for the street legal car).

Don’t get too used to the style of this M3 though: the racer only rolled out onto the track for the first time two weeks ago so the team reckons the looks will change significantly between now and the start of the 2012 season.

Anything else?

Besides unveiling the car, BMW also confirmed a few more details of its DTM project. We already know that three teams will race M3s in next year’s DTM series: BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG. And now Brit and ex-WTCC champion Andy Priaulx, along with fellow BMW M3 GT driver Augusto Farfus, have been revealed as the first two drivers.

‘It is good to see how our DTM project is picking up speed,’ said BMW’s director of development Dr Klaus Draeger. ‘Next yea, BMW returns to the DTM after two decades. We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector – and are already looking forward to this challenge.’

‘Getting a new racing programme up and running is a bit like doing a jigsaw,’ added new BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt. ‘New pieces are added almost every day, and we must put them together to create the big picture. The BMW M3 DTM Concept Car is an important milestone on our route to the start of the 2012 season. The rollout of the car was successful, and we are now starting our test programme out on the track. The pieces are fitting together perfectly, so we can definitely say: our preparations for the 2012 season are going according to plan.’

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

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BMW M3 CRT (2011) first official pictures

This is the BMW M3 CRT. It's a lightweight special edition, mating track-spec technology from the M3 GTS with the M3 saloon body. The M3 CRT was unveiled at a BMW M function prior to the 2011 Nurburgring 24hr race this weekend.

M3 CRT: Cathode Ray Tube? Why put an old TV in an M car?

That's M3 Carbon Racing Technology, actually. BMW has borrowed from its growing expertise in carbonfibre structures being developed for the BMW i eco cars to give the M3 CRT its name. But don't go expecting a carbonfibre bodyshell or structure on the end-of-life E90 3-series. Carbonfibre appears on the bonnet, seatbacks, rear wing and front airdam only. Combined with a lightweight titanium exhaust and other lightweight components, BMW have managed to trim 45kgs from the weight of a standard M3 saloon, while retaining four seats, sat-nav and hi-fi.

M3 CRT: GTS engine and suspension

BMW has fitted the M3 CRT with its 4.4-litre, 444bhp V8 engine and coupled it to the M-DCT dual-clutch transmission. Adjustable coilover dampers join a rigid rear axle subframe, six-piston front disc brakes and 19-inch light alloy wheels to differentiate the M3 CRT from a regular M3 saloon. The unique matte silver exterior paint with metallic red accents complete the transformation to M3 CRT

I must subject three passengers to M3 GTS level pace. When can I buy an M3 CRT?

There's only going to be 67 made, and they'll all be left hand drive. No UK price or availability has been announced, so you'd best pester your BMW dealer now if you want to help send the current M3 out the door.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

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BMW Z2

Sports cars have never been the true forte of BMW. The 507, 503, M1, Z1 and Z8 were unloved loss-markers which only attained cult status (long) after production had ended.

But the company is readying a new Z2 to launch it back in to the affordable sports car heartland. Because the Z4 coupe-convertible moved upmarket, it's left a gap for a simpler, purer Z3 successor. Here is CAR's scoop dossier on the new Z2, brought to life with our latest artist's renderings.

The BMW Z2: back-to-basics, but not necessarily front-wheel drive

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer is reportedly not exactly a fan of the Z2, but the Munich grapevine suggests the board now understands that the brand must not surrender this segment to the competition such as the Mazda MX-5. 

The Z2 will definitely be a soft-top roadster. Better still, it will almost certainly not be front-wheel drive. But now Munich R&D types are working out whether a classic RWD matrix would work best, or whether to gamble a new 4wd platform.

BMW Z2: a four-wheel drive sports car?

There was an outcry within the community when first details of the front-wheel drive UKL1 platform for future BMWs and Minis emerged, and this protest was obviously loud enough to convince the BMW officials that 4wd is a must if UKL1 does indeed underpin the Z2.

Among the undisputed advantages of the UKL1 architecture are the early availability (spring 2014 for the roadster, autumn 2014 for the coupé), the traction bonus inherent in four-wheel drive and the economies of scale offered by this high-volume matrix. On the debit side, it's hard to ignore the usual weight, space and cost penalties of all-wheel drive.

The 2-series derived, rear-drive Z2 option

Plan B suggests a launch in 2015, or even 2016. That's a long wait, but it could be worth the delay, since it may include RWD.

Plan B revolves around a modified rear-wheel drive matrix BMW is preparing for the follow-up to the 1-series coupé and cabriolet. Better still, this is not just a stop-gap measure but part of a new split and staggered game plan which ensures that both two-door 1-series cars remain RWD even beyond 2020.

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

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BMW Z4 GT3 (2011) completes testing

BMW Motorsport has released pictures of its upgraded Z4 GT3 race car. The 2011 car has completed testing and is available for customer teams.

BMW Z4 GT3: the lowdown

The Z4 GT3 may look like a regular Z4 that's been attacked by a boy-racer with a carbonfibre and tea-tray rear wing fetish. But under the skin the Z4 GT3 ditches straight-six power for a 4.4-litre motorsport-tuned V8 engine, hooked up to a six-speed racing transmission

BMW Motorsport takes a regular Z4 coupe-cabriolet body shell, and removes the retractable hardtop, bonnet, bootlid, front and rear wings and the bumpers. In goes an FIA-approved rollcage, modified front structure for that V8 engine and suitably uprated suspension and steering hardware.

A 100-litre fuel tank takes care of the V8's thirst, which is monitored along with the other performance parameters by a digital instrument panel. Lightweight carbonfibre panels cover up the racing tech. For 2011 BMW has particularly focused on honing the Z4 GT3's aerodynamics, says the team.

BMW Z4 GT3: the rivals

FIA GT3 class racing does not have a world championship, but the Z4 GT3 is eligible to compete in endurance or GT race series with a GT3 class such as the British GT Series or the FIA GT3 European Championship.

The Z4 GT3 will face stern competition, with GT3 versions of the Aston Martin DB9, Porsche 911, Chevrolet Corvette, Audi R8, Mercedes SLS, Lamborghini Gallardo, Alpina B6, Ferrari 458, Ford GT... BMW will hope that the 2011 car improves on third place in the 2010 GT3 European Championship for the Schubert Motorsport team. Schubert also won the Dubai 24hr race in January 2011.

I like the sound of a V8 Z4, when can I buy one?

If you fancy campaigning one in the GT3 class of your local racing series, BMW Motorsport would be happy to sell you a Z4 GT3. That will be £278,000 for the car, sir. Spare parts, accessories and racing team sold separately. 

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

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BMW Concept M5 (2011)

This is the new BMW M5 super saloon. Or at least it's the BMW Concept M5, a show car that will be unveiled at this month's 2011 Shanghai auto show, and a preview of how the production M5 will look.

Apart from the darkened wheels and lack of interior, this Concept M5 mirrors the real M5 almost 100%. This is the fifth-generation BMW M5, but the first M car to get its own unique model designation: F10M.

So what do we know about the new 2011 BMW M5?

Let's start with what's under the skin, what BMW wants to keep under wraps until the real thing is unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. Under the bonnet the E60 M5's V10 has been replaced by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. So far BMW will only say it's a 'high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology' but we know it's the same engine you'll find in the X5 M and X6 M.

However, as befits the M5, we hear the V8 have a little more power than the 4x4 pair: reckon on 578bhp and 530lb ft, up from 547bhp and 501lb ft. The blown V8 won't have quite the same whip-crack responses as the naturally aspirated V10, but BMW promises that 'the eight-cylinder power unit delivers a spontaneous and even acceleration, which remains constant up to the highest load and is characteristic of the M feeling, in a previously unequalled dimension'.

The M5 also runs a different gearbox from the SUV M cars. They have a six-speed automatic, but the M5 has a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels (via the famous active M Differential, of course). 

Add that to a whole host of drivetrain tweaks (including stop/start) and BMW claims the new M5 consumes 25% less fuel and is 25% cleaner than the old M5: that means around 24.5mpg and 258g/km. Big improvements on the 19.6mpg and 344g/km V10, but still behind the new Mercedes CLS63 AMG.

BMW M5 Concept: the lowdown

M-specific suspension and steering are a given, and there are big brakes hiding behind the 20in forged alloys – the tyres are 265/35 ZR20 up front and 265/35 ZR20 at the back.

As is tradition with M car concepts, the doors are locked and the windows are darkened so there's no chance of seeing the interior, but there will be new seats and a new steering wheel with proper paddles.

Instead it's the exterior that BMW wants us to focus on, and it's clear that despite a complete visual overhaul the new M5 is still relatively understated.

The new front bumper features a trio of air intakes, the flanks features chrome-lined gills (and integrated indicators) and new sills, and at the back there's M Division's signature quad exhausts, plus a discreet boot spoiler, bespoke bumper and rear diffuser

source : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/

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