BMW iX3 Will Be Built In China

BMW announced this week that it would start building more of its SUVs in China due to the recently enacted 40% import tax on cars sent there from the U.S. This massive increase was done in reaction to the Trump administration imposing import tariffs on Chinese products. Currently BMW is the largest exporter of cars in the U.S. and it makes the X3, X4, X5 and X6 SUVs at its Spartanburg plant. Employing 10,000 workers, BMW says that production numbers won’t be affected but with the recent announcement that the upcoming iX3 will also be built in China.

BMW iX3 Will Be Built In China

BMW announced this week that it would start building more of its SUVs in China due to the recently enacted 40% import tax on cars sent there from the U.S. This massive increase was done in reaction to the Trump administration imposing import tariffs on Chinese products. Currently BMW is the largest exporter of cars in the U.S. and it makes the X3, X4, X5 and X6 SUVs at its Spartanburg plant. Employing 10,000 workers, BMW says that production numbers won’t be affected but with the recent announcement that the upcoming iX3 will also be built in China.

Next BWW 2 Series Could Be Built In Mexico For America

And yes, it'll likely remain RWD.

The current generation BMW 2 Series still has a few years of life left in it, but there are active discussions taking place at this very moment regarding its successor. For starters, it appears it’ll retain its rear-wheel-drive architecture despite some earlier rumors saying it’ll switch to a front-wheel-drive setup. That’s obviously good news for purist BMW fans who view the 2 Series as the current spiritual successor to the likes of the old school 2002 and E30 3 Series.

But BMW Blog has learned from one of its Munich-based sources that the next-gen 2 Series will no longer be built in Europe for the US market but rather Mexico.

There just so happens to be a new production plant in San Potosi, Mexico that BMW is considering. This facility will also just so happen to build the all-new 3 Series. Like the new 3 Series, the next 2 Series will also ride on the CLAR flexible architecture. One of the main reasons BMW is probably considering Mexico instead of Europe is due to the ongoing trade war between the US and the EU. While the US, Mexico, and Canada recently renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), no such equivalent has happened yet regarding Europe.

Because production planning requires a few years advanced notice and for the necessary tooling, BMW simply can’t afford to wait on this one. Production is currently scheduled to get underway in mid-2021. As far as we know, there probably won’t be another 2 Series convertible due to slow sales.

Interestingly, the 2 Series Gran Coupe will likely launch in late 2019 as a 2020 model, meaning it’ll overlap with the next generation coupe. However, it’ll be FWD and not RWD. Why’s that? It’ll compete directly with the also FWD Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 sedan. All-wheel drive will certainly be optional.

Instead Of The Bentayga, This Is The Off-Roader Bentley Should Have Built

We'd love to blast around in this off-road Continental.

Usually, the only time we get to see exotic cars modified for off-road use is in rendering art. Sometimes, there is a rich person out there who is crazy enough to build an off-road monster out of something expensive and exotic. Bentley built the Bentayga to help cater to the SUV-crazed market, but it does have some off-road cred. Even though it can handle itself, most Bentayga owners will never take their SUV off-road. This is precisely why if it were our money, we'd forget about the Bentayga and buy this custom Continental GT instead.

This off-road creation is based on a 2004 Continental GT. The car is currently for sale in the Netherlands by Classic Youngtimers. No price is listed, but the car currently has 85,166 km (around 53,000 miles) on the odometer. We wonder if those were "gentle" miles. The dealership has added extensive modifications to turn this Bentley into an off-road warrior. Custom additions include: a 3-inch lift, modified air suspension, front stabilizer, custom fender flares, roof rack, LED roof lights, custom roof-mounted spare-wheel, custom rear skid plate, matte black grill, custom exhaust and various other upgrades.

Theoretically, the Continental GT should be an excellent off-road car. The 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 produces 552 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque going out to all-wheel-drive. Even with 20-inch wheels wrapped in all terrain tires, this Bentley should still be a beast on the street and off-road. Why buy a Bentayga and park next to all of the other rich people in their Cayennes and Range Rovers when you could have something truly unique?

BMW iX3 Won’t Be Built In The US

Where do you think it's coming from?

With the launch of the iX3 electric SUV, BMW is laying the groundwork to start exporting cars to North America from China, even while the US and China rage at one another over vehicle import tariffs. According to Automotive News, the company’s first fully-electric SUV, the iX3, will begin production in 2020 at BMW’s joint-venture production plant in Northern China. The company previewed the model with the Concept iX3 unveiled at the 2018 Beijing Auto Show.

Following Cadillac’s move to import the CT6 PHEV from China, BMW will become the second major luxury carmaker to ship electric vehicle to North America from China. Most of the high-tech gadgets consumers buy already come from China so there shouldn’t be a problem accepting cutting-edge cars shipped from the People’s Republic. Truthfully though, the choice of China is likely motivated by the higher expense needed to produce electric vehicles. It also makes the iX3 the second sport utility sold in North America that isn’t built at the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, SUV plant that’s responsible for the X3, X4, X5, and X6.

The company says the iX3 will be able to travel 250 miles on a fully charged battery and it will enter the newly birthed premium electric-SUV segment, joining the Jaguar I-Pace, Audi’s e-tron, and the Mercedes-Benz EQ C crossover. The iX3 will be based on the existing X3 to save costs and is one of the 12 all-electric cars BMW is promising to debut by 2025. Unlike bigger rivals like Volkswagen, and General Motors, which can spread the research and development costs of emerging technology between it’s basket of brands, BMW really just has Mini to work with.

The iX3 will arrive before the planned electric sedan BMW previewed with the iVision Dynamics Concept. The production version will likely be named the i4 and should share a powertrain with the iX3, much like the X3 and 3 series share powertrains and a platform.

BMW Won't Build An M2 Convertible, So This Company Built Its Own

It even has more power than the M2 Competition.

The new BMW M2 Competition takes the already fun M2, and makes it even faster and more hardcore. The M2 Competition will likely please a lot of enthusiasts, but there are some people who prefer their sports car to be a bit less serious, and a bit more open-top. BMW has already said it does not want to build an M2 convertible, because the M240i convertible already fills the role in the lineup. If you simply won't settle for an M240i and want a full on M2 convertible, a German tuner shop called Lightweight Performance has you covered.

This is the same company that stuffed a 600 horsepower engine from the M4 GTS into an M2. In total, the project cost around 75,000 euros to build. For comparison, the M2 costs 59,900 euros in Germany and the M240i Convertible is 54,300. The one-off creation has been nicknamed "Hillary," though LW Performance doesn't go into specifics on where the name came from. Clearly, a lot of work was done to keep a factory feel, because this M2 convertible looks remarkably close to something BMW would build on a production line. The car even features the same 3.0-liter S55 inline-six mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as the normal M2.

Not content to leave the engine stock, LW Performance bumped the power up from the stock 365 horsepower, to 422 hp (more than the new M2 Competition). This car also packs features not found on a standard M2, including 305/25/21 section tires in the rear, with 20-inch wheels up front and ABS tuning from the M4 GTS. The interior even includes plenty of alcantara and leather, keeping this car looking just like an M2 coupe. This is truly the closest thing in the world to a factory M2 convertible. Photo credit: Jordi Miranda

BMW iX3 Will Be Built In China

BMW announced this week that it would start building more of its SUVs in China due to the recently enacted 40% import tax on cars sent there from the U.S. This massive increase was done in reaction to the Trump administration imposing import tariffs on Chinese products. Currently BMW is the largest exporter of cars in the U.S. and it makes the X3, X4, X5 and X6 SUVs at its Spartanburg plant. Employing 10,000 workers, BMW says that production numbers won’t be affected but with the recent announcement that the upcoming iX3 will also be built in China.

Next BWW 2 Series Could Be Built In Mexico For America

And yes, it'll likely remain RWD.

The current generation BMW 2 Series still has a few years of life left in it, but there are active discussions taking place at this very moment regarding its successor. For starters, it appears it’ll retain its rear-wheel-drive architecture despite some earlier rumors saying it’ll switch to a front-wheel-drive setup. That’s obviously good news for purist BMW fans who view the 2 Series as the current spiritual successor to the likes of the old school 2002 and E30 3 Series.

But BMW Blog has learned from one of its Munich-based sources that the next-gen 2 Series will no longer be built in Europe for the US market but rather Mexico.

There just so happens to be a new production plant in San Potosi, Mexico that BMW is considering. This facility will also just so happen to build the all-new 3 Series. Like the new 3 Series, the next 2 Series will also ride on the CLAR flexible architecture. One of the main reasons BMW is probably considering Mexico instead of Europe is due to the ongoing trade war between the US and the EU. While the US, Mexico, and Canada recently renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), no such equivalent has happened yet regarding Europe.

Because production planning requires a few years advanced notice and for the necessary tooling, BMW simply can’t afford to wait on this one. Production is currently scheduled to get underway in mid-2021. As far as we know, there probably won’t be another 2 Series convertible due to slow sales.

Interestingly, the 2 Series Gran Coupe will likely launch in late 2019 as a 2020 model, meaning it’ll overlap with the next generation coupe. However, it’ll be FWD and not RWD. Why’s that? It’ll compete directly with the also FWD Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 sedan. All-wheel drive will certainly be optional.

Next BWW 2 Series Could Be Built In Mexico For America

And yes, it'll likely remain RWD.

The current generation BMW 2 Series still has a few years of life left in it, but there are active discussions taking place at this very moment regarding its successor. For starters, it appears it’ll retain its rear-wheel-drive architecture despite some earlier rumors saying it’ll switch to a front-wheel-drive setup. That’s obviously good news for purist BMW fans who view the 2 Series as the current spiritual successor to the likes of the old school 2002 and E30 3 Series.

But BMW Blog has learned from one of its Munich-based sources that the next-gen 2 Series will no longer be built in Europe for the US market but rather Mexico.

There just so happens to be a new production plant in San Potosi, Mexico that BMW is considering. This facility will also just so happen to build the all-new 3 Series. Like the new 3 Series, the next 2 Series will also ride on the CLAR flexible architecture. One of the main reasons BMW is probably considering Mexico instead of Europe is due to the ongoing trade war between the US and the EU. While the US, Mexico, and Canada recently renegotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), no such equivalent has happened yet regarding Europe.

Because production planning requires a few years advanced notice and for the necessary tooling, BMW simply can’t afford to wait on this one. Production is currently scheduled to get underway in mid-2021. As far as we know, there probably won’t be another 2 Series convertible due to slow sales.

Interestingly, the 2 Series Gran Coupe will likely launch in late 2019 as a 2020 model, meaning it’ll overlap with the next generation coupe. However, it’ll be FWD and not RWD. Why’s that? It’ll compete directly with the also FWD Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 sedan. All-wheel drive will certainly be optional.