BMW – Page 1803 – I wish I had more to offer

Gestamp opens its new plant in West Midlands

9.13.2018 Gestamp, the multinational company specialized in the design, development and manufacture of highly engineered metal components for the automotive industry opened its new manufacturing facility today in Four Ashes near Wolverhampton (West Midlands). The new plant has state-of-the-art stamping equipment in its 50,000 square metres facility. It will include the production capability of the… Continue reading Gestamp opens its new plant in West Midlands

Paragraph attracts: BMW shortens lagging behind Mercedes

All articles and backgrounds 09/13/2018 Sales move to BMW Shortened backlog to Mercedes BMW BMW 3 Series: shortened distance to Mercedes-Benz The carmaker BMW Show stock market chart gained momentum in sales in August, shortening the gap to rival Mercedes-Benz. In August, the number of BMW cars sold increased by 3.2 percent to 151 633,… Continue reading Paragraph attracts: BMW shortens lagging behind Mercedes

Peugeot’s DS brand adds mini-SUV to bolster rebounding sales

PARIS (Reuters) – French carmaker PSA Group unveiled an SUV version of its DS3 upscale mini as it builds on a sales rebound underway at the eight-year-old premium DS brand. Yves Bonnefont, CEO of DS Brand, poses in front of the new DS 3 Crossback SUV E-Tense electric car during a presentation at PSA’s DS… Continue reading Peugeot’s DS brand adds mini-SUV to bolster rebounding sales

Volkswagen’s Skoda unions object to renewed talks on production moves

PRAGUE: Trade unions at Volkswagen‘s Czech unit Skoda Auto on Thursday rejected any ideas of moving some of the production of its premium sedan model Superb to German plants. In a statement, the unions said discussions over the issue of shifting some production to VW’s Emden plant had started again within the parent company’s management.… Continue reading Volkswagen’s Skoda unions object to renewed talks on production moves

BMW Group sales up slightly despite headwinds

Munich. In August, the BMW Group sold a total of 173,454 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles around the world, an increase of 2.1% year-on-year. This means that in the first eight months of the year, deliveries rose 1.6% (1,597,021) compared with the same period last year. “Despite headwinds and a highly competitive situation in several… Continue reading BMW Group sales up slightly despite headwinds

BMW i3 cars help stabilizing the electricity grid and can even earn their owners money.

San Francisco/ Munich. At theGovernor’s Global Climate Action Summit (12–14September 2018) in San Francisco, the BMW Groupand PG&E present the results of their ChargeForward project in favour of maximizing the use of electricity from renewable resources to charge electric cars. The main findings are:  Electric vehicles can help stabilizing the public grid and maximizing… Continue reading BMW i3 cars help stabilizing the electricity grid and can even earn their owners money.

The new VinFast SUV, sedan are Italian design and German engineering via Vietnam

Share Facebook Tweet Pinterest Email Vietnam is getting into the car business for itself, and ahead of the launches of a sedan and an SUV at the Paris auto show in October, the automaker VinFast has revealed the first photos of the Italian carrozzeria-styled models. Looking far from a first effort, the sedan and SUV… Continue reading The new VinFast SUV, sedan are Italian design and German engineering via Vietnam

BMW drops diesels in favor of plug-in hybrids

2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e iPerformance
BMW is the latest automaker to eliminate diesels from its U.S. lineup, at least, and focus on plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

A BMW spokesman told Green Car Reports on Tuesday that it will drop diesels from its lineup for 2019.

“We're putting all our eggs in the PHEV basket,” said BMW spokesman Alexander Schmuck.

BMW currently sells five plug-in hybrid models in the U.S. Those include the 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series sedans, the X5 SUV, and the i8 coupe.

DON'T MISS: 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e plug-in hybrid will have more range, 6 cylinders

Most of BMW's plug-in hybrids are designated by an “e” at the end of their model names, such as the BMW 330e, 530e, and X5 xDrive40e. Those models on the market today have only 14 to 16 miles of electric range, according to their EPA ratings.

Last week BMW revealed a new plug-in version of the X5 for 2021, the X5 xDrive45e, which may have up to 50 miles of electric range with larger batteries and a new engine.

Finding enough space for batteries has been a challenge in BMW's plug-in hybrids, but a company supplier recently showed a prototype BMW i3 with three times the battery capacity in the same footprint of the original, which could allow BMW to pack far more range into its plug-in hybrids.

CHECK OUT: Supplier tests compact 100-kwh battery pack in BMW i3

The new battery is expected to be used in the company's upcoming iNext electric sedan, which is due to be revealed at the end of the week.

The spokesman also said the upcoming X5 xDrive45e will use an inline-6, which will be easier for the company to meet California's SULEV clean-air standards.

A car’s lifetime in fast-forward: The new BMW 3 Series Sedan enters the final phase of testing.

Munich. As the new BMW 3 Series Sedan prepares for its world premiere, it can already look back over a lifetime of hard work. The new generation of the sports sedan is entering the final phase of an extensive programme of testing that every new BMW model must go through as part of its pre-production… Continue reading A car’s lifetime in fast-forward: The new BMW 3 Series Sedan enters the final phase of testing.

Pay-with-your-face systems and self-driving cars: Inside Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing

Pay-with-your-face systems and self-driving cars: Inside Baidu's headquarters in Beijing

A trip to Baidu's headquarters may offer a glimpse into the future of payments, building security and driving.

Baidu is often referred to as the “Google of China” because the tech titan commands roughly 70 percent of China's internet searches. Like Alphabet in the U.S., the Chinese company is also working on a host of other technologies.

CNBC recently visited its headquarters in Beijing, which is home to around 20,000 of its 40,000-person workforce. Similar to companies in Silicon Valley, Baidu has multiple buildings spread across a sprawling campus boasting amenities from yoga classes to rock climbing walls.

Employees now have the option of registering their faces, which they can use to get through security checkpoints and even pay for things like lunch or items at vending machines.

Uptin Saiidi | CNBC
An employee pays with his face at Baidu's cafeterira in Beijing, China

Meanwhile, a small park on its campus is used to try out autonomous vehicles. During CNBC's visit, staff tested a combination of vehicles, including passenger cars, 14-passenger buses and logistics vehicles that could eventually deliver packages.

This week, Baidu announced it will work with BYD — China's leading electric car maker, which is backed by Warren Buffett — to reach mass production of autonomous cars within three years.

Baidu has already produced more than 100 autonomous buses and has plans to sell to foreign markets, including Japan, which is set to receive 10 in early 2019.

Baidu has partnered with companies including Microsoft, BMW, Ford and Intel as part of its autonomous driving project.

Baidu, BYD partner to bring mass production of self-driving cars
4:16 AM ET Thu, 6 Sept 2018 | 02:31