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  • Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring

    Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring November 9th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran's avatar Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 9th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 0 Comments

    Spy Shots: 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring

    With the 2009 Audi A6 facelift and the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class already in showrooms, attention now turns to the next-generation BMW 5-Series. A class leader since its inception, the 5-series Sedan and Touring wagon remain crucial vehicles in BMW’s lineup and with the next-gen versions now just months away from launch speculation about their final design has been heating up.

    The new 5-Series Touring is expected to arrive 12 months after the reveal of the Sedan, which is making its world debut at March's 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and these latest spy shots give us a glimpse of how it will look. Most of the planned changes for the 2011...

    With the 2009 Audi A6 facelift and the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class already in showrooms, attention now turns to the next-generation BMW 5-Series. A class leader since its inception, the 5-series Sedan and Touring wagon remain crucial vehicles in BMW’s lineup and with the next-gen versions now just months away from launch speculation about their final design has been heating up. The new 5-Series Touring is expected to arrive 12 months after the reveal of the Sedan, which is making its world debut at March's 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and these latest spy shots give us a glimpse of how it will look. Most of the planned changes for the 2011 BMW 5-Series will be skin-deep. Under the new sheet metal, BMW will continue with its new found love of turbocharging. The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 from the X6 and new 5-Series GT is expected to appear in a range topping model, while more turbodiesel variants are expected to join the lineup as well. BMW is also expected to launch two hybrid versions: a ‘mild’ hybrid gasoline-electric version similar to the recently revealed ActiveHybrid 7 as well as a diesel-electric version. The transmission systems will include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed Steptronic semi-auto gearbox, however a new 8-speed unit from ZF is also expected to be available. New EfficientDynamics technologies will also be available, such as specially designed aerodynamic wheels and brake-energy regeneration systems. Performance will also be improved thanks to the extensive use of lightweight materials including carbon-fiber and aluminum. The car’s construction will be a mix of an aluminum spaceframe for the front section and a traditional steel monocoque for the passenger compartment and rear. This will ensure a favorable front-to-rear weight distribution and improved handling. Up front will be an independent suspension with MacPherson struts, with a multi-link layout for the rear. High-performance models, such as the next M5, will possibly include carbon-fiber body panels to shed even more weight. Read More

  • Driven: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6

    Driven: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6 November 9th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran's avatar Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 9th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 0 Comments

    Driven: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6

    Unlike the mainstream market where hybrid technology is used to maximize fuel efficiency, luxury automakers have employed hybrid systems as a way to maintain or improve performance while making concessions to efficiency.

    The 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, which our testers got to drive this past weekend, is a prime example.

    Based on the regular X6 "Sports Activity Coupe," which itself is a car of contradictions, the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 is the first hybrid from the maker of ultimate driving machines and is due for retail sale next month. Oh, and it costs ninety grand.

    Rated at a combined output of 478 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, the...

    Unlike the mainstream market where hybrid technology is used to maximize fuel efficiency, luxury automakers have employed hybrid systems as a way to maintain or improve performance while making concessions to efficiency. The 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, which our testers got to drive this past weekend, is a prime example. Based on the regular X6 "Sports Activity Coupe," which itself is a car of contradictions, the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 is the first hybrid from the maker of ultimate driving machines and is due for retail sale next month. Oh, and it costs ninety grand. Rated at a combined output of 478 horsepower and 575 pound-feet of torque, the big SUV uses a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine and a nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery pack to claim the title of the world's most powerful gasoline-electric hybrid passenger vehicle. That's no mean feat, with contenders like Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Cadillac in the space. The two electric synchronous motors contribute 91 horsepower/192 pound-feet and 86 horsepower/206 pound-feet, respectively. This hybrid system is the same Two-Mode Hybrid architecture found in the full-size 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid pickup trucks, as well as various full-size sport utilities including the luxurious Cadillac Escalade Platinum Hybrid. But BMW has completely rethought the concept of "hybrid," using the software that manages all the electric components to mimic the driving behavior of a seven-speed automatic transmission. Our testers drove the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6 this past weekend at the international press launch, and aside from a few badges and the instrumentation, you'd never know it was a hybrid. One thing that you will definitely notice is the gas mileage: EPA ratings for the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 are 17 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway, against the standard X6 xDrive 50i that uses the same twin-turbo V8, which delivers only 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. The ActiveHybrid even has a better combined rating than the six-cylinder X6 xDrive 35i. And over a 100-mile-plus test drive, our testers saw average mileage of 20.4 mpg. Not bad for a large all-wheel drive sport utility that weighs almost three tons. Our sister site GreenCarReports.com has full driving impressions of the new 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, which you can see here. Otherwise, check out our review of the regular 2009 BMW X6 range by clicking here. Read More

  • Autonomous Audi TTS To Tackle Pikes Peak Rally

    Autonomous Audi TTS To Tackle Pikes Peak Rally November 9th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 9th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 1 Comment

    Autonomous Audi TTS To Tackle Pikes Peak Rally

    We have a preview of one of the challengers that will tackle the very special Annual Autonomous Robot Race next July, a self-driving Audi TTS Coupe nicknamed Shelley.

    The vehicle gets its name from Michele Mouton, one of the most successful female rally drivers to date who played a significant part in Audi's racing history, and was developed by Audi together with a team from Stanford University.

    The goal in developing Shelley was to build an autonomous vehicle capable of completing the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a reasonable time using rally driving techniques.

    Audi enlisted researchers from the Volkswagen Electronics Research...

    We have a preview of one of the challengers that will tackle the very special Annual Autonomous Robot Race next July, a self-driving Audi TTS Coupe nicknamed Shelley. The vehicle gets its name from Michele Mouton, one of the most successful female rally drivers to date who played a significant part in Audi's racing history, and was developed by Audi together with a team from Stanford University. The goal in developing Shelley was to build an autonomous vehicle capable of completing the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a reasonable time using rally driving techniques. Audi enlisted researchers from the Volkswagen Electronics Research Lab to develop a safety architecture to ensure a reliable autonomous drive. The team at Stanford University, meanwhile, developed the control algorithms that enable the vehicle to drive at the limits of handling on a variety of surfaces, and lets it complete the Pikes Peak course. [Audi] Read More

  • Hybrid Future At BMW

    Hybrid Future At BMW November 9th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 9th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 0 Comments

    Hybrid Future At BMW

    Unlike the mainstream market where hybrid technology is used to maximize fuel efficiency, luxury automakers have employed hybrid systems as a way to maintain or improve performance while making concessions to efficiency.

    The upcoming 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 and 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 from BMW are prime examples of this philosophy, combining already powerful V-8 engines with electric motors for added performance and superior fuel economy to comparable non-hybrid models.

    The 2010 ActiveHybrid X6, for example, is no wimp when it comes to performance, sprinting to 60 mph from rest in just 5.6 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of...

    Unlike the mainstream market where hybrid technology is used to maximize fuel efficiency, luxury automakers have employed hybrid systems as a way to maintain or improve performance while making concessions to efficiency. The upcoming 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 and 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 from BMW are prime examples of this philosophy, combining already powerful V-8 engines with electric motors for added performance and superior fuel economy to comparable non-hybrid models. The 2010 ActiveHybrid X6, for example, is no wimp when it comes to performance, sprinting to 60 mph from rest in just 5.6 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. And it does it all while returning a fuel economy of 22.8 mpg in the combined cycle, about 20% better than the standard V-8's ratings. This raises questions such as why a luxury automaker like BMW is focusing so much on the eco-friendly technology and what kind of hybrid vehicles can we expect in the near future? Speaking with Autocar, the project leader of the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6, Peter Tuennermann, explained that electrification will play an ever increasing role in personal mobility in the future--especially in the face of tougher emission regulations--and that hybrid vehicles are just a stepping stone towards this electrified automotive future. Tuennermann went on to reveal that volume models like the 3-, 5- and 7-series were more suited to mild hybrid systems like the one in the ActiveHybrid 7 where the electric motor only aids the internal combustion engine and cannot actually power the vehicle by itself, and that larger and heavier models like the X3, X5 and X6 were better suited to a full hybrid solution. The BMW exec wasn’t willing to reveal what model will be BMW’s next hybrid but he did mention that it would be launched within the next 12 months. He also confirmed that research on diesel-electric hybrid powertrains was taking place and that such a design would most likely be in the form of a range-extending plug-in hybrid vehicle. [Autocar] Read More

  • Opel Boss Carl-Peter Forster Calls It Quits

    Opel Boss Carl-Peter Forster Calls It Quits November 6th, 2009 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, November 6th, 2009 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 8 Comments

    Opel Boss Carl-Peter Forster Calls It Quits

    Carl-Peter Forster, GM group vice president and president of Opel, will be leaving his role as head of the European operation and will advise the company during the transition to find a new CEO, it was announced today.

    With the departure of Forster, GM will initiate an immediate external search for a new CEO for Opel. Expected to replace him, believe it or not, is GM's Bob Lutz.

    The move comes just days after GM decided to keep Opel rather than selling it to a consortium of buyers led by Magna International and Russia's Sberbank.

    No other management changes to the Opel organization are being considered at this time, and that all key...

    Carl-Peter Forster, GM group vice president and president of Opel, will be leaving his role as head of the European operation and will advise the company during the transition to find a new CEO, it was announced today. With the departure of Forster, GM will initiate an immediate external search for a new CEO for Opel. Expected to replace him, believe it or not, is GM's Bob Lutz. The move comes just days after GM decided to keep Opel rather than selling it to a consortium of buyers led by Magna International and Russia's Sberbank. No other management changes to the Opel organization are being considered at this time, and that all key management roles remain while the search for a new CEO continues. Perhaps most telling in the whole fiasco, GM still has plans for Opel cars here in the U.S. Although Saturn was previously the primary outlet for re-badged Opels in America, Buick recently confirmed a redesigned Insignia to be sold as the Regal. For more on what may be in store for that car, read up on our preview story here. [General Motors] Read More

  • GM Czar Lutz Heading Back To Europe--To Opel?

    GM Czar Lutz Heading Back To Europe--To Opel? November 6th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, November 6th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 5 Comments

    GM Czar Lutz Heading Back To Europe--To Opel?

    GM's sudden decision this week to reverse path and keep Opel rather than sell a majority stake to Magna and Sberbank raised a lot of eyebrows, and even some tempers, around the world. Today, a report from Germany is saying car czar Bob Lutz is to be the next Chairman of Opel's supervisory board, following today's announcement of the departure of current Chairman and president of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster.

    It wouldn't be the first time Lutz was sent to Europe on car business, as he kicked off his automotive career as part of the GM Europe team from 1963 to 1971. He also held the post of executive vice president of sales at BMW from 1971...

    GM's sudden decision this week to reverse path and keep Opel rather than sell a majority stake to Magna and Sberbank raised a lot of eyebrows, and even some tempers, around the world. Today, a report from Germany is saying car czar Bob Lutz is to be the next Chairman of Opel's supervisory board, following today's announcement of the departure of current Chairman and president of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster. It wouldn't be the first time Lutz was sent to Europe on car business, as he kicked off his automotive career as part of the GM Europe team from 1963 to 1971. He also held the post of executive vice president of sales at BMW from 1971 to 1974. In the early 1980s, Lutz was Chairman of Ford of Europe and executive vice president of Ford's international operations. On the other hand, he is also a part of the machine that saw Detroit in general and GM in particular drive itself straight off a cliff over the last several decades. So some in Europe are understandably cross about the idea of Lutz's leadership of Opel. Lutz won't be taking Forster's position as head of GM Europe, however. That job will be reserved for Nick Reilly. There's no word yet on how Lutz's redirection to Opel will affect his role in GM's current marketing re-imagination campaign. The move could ease the already-planned import of the Opel Insignia as the next-gen Buick Regal. [Spiegel Online via TTAC] Read More

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