BMW Teases Very Little Of Its Vision iNext Concept

The next-gen electric BMW is embarking on a world tour next week.

Want to know what BMW's next concept car will look like before it unveils the thing? Yeah, we do too. But after looking at this latest round of teasers, we're still left wondering.

Dubbed the Vision iNext, Munich's forthcoming concept is slated to set the stage for its next generation of electric vehicles – first and foremost a battery-powered crossover to take on the likes of the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X. It's an emerging market segment that Audi's going after as well with the upcoming E-Tron and Mercedes with the EQC.

Over the course of the next five years or so, we can expect every luxury automaker under the sun to get in on the game, and BMW won't want to miss out.

To that end, the Bavarian automaker is anticipated to roll out its electric crossover in 2021 (just three years from now). But before it does, it'll give us a preview of what to expect with the Vision iNext concept in the coming weeks. And it's cooked up a rather unusual showcase for the vehicle.

Rather than fly journalists in to see it, BMW and Lufthansa Cargo are sending it around the world in a specially equipped Boeing 777. The plane will take off from Munich on September 9, hitting New York, then San Francisco, and finally Beijing before returning to Frankfurt on September 14 – all over the course of five days.

The airborne showcase is being outfitted with ten high-lumen projectors, 78,000 LEDs, and four and a half miles of wiring... all installed in the jet aircraft to highlight the new concept. Here's hoping it proves worth the effort.

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Is The New BMW 8 Series Better Looking Than The Concept?

Or vice versa?

I need to clarify one thing clear before going any further: the reborn BMW 8 Series is a very pretty car. Is it stunning? I personally won’t be able to answer that until I see it in the flesh, hopefully next month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But is the production version of BMW’s new grand tourer flagship better looking than last year’s concept? Debatable. I must admit, first off, I’m not the biggest fan of modern BMW design. Great cars. Brilliantly engineered. But I’ve often found them to have a “chunky” look, for lack of a better word.

But I didn’t think “chunky” when staring at the 8 Series Concept late last year at Frankfurt. “Sleek” immediately came to mind. The concept was stunning, a perfect blend of sport and elegance. A BMW PR guy proudly explained to me the concept was the beginning of a new styling direction. Although he couldn’t comment about the production version’s specifics, we all knew it was coming. The concept, at least in my eyes, looked about 80 to 85 percent production ready, save for the usual mandated safety alterations. I was pumped. This design, with its deep concaves molded into the doors, in your-face-face large twin kidney grille, and smooth sheetmetal throughout, went above and beyond what I could have imagined.

Aside from the expected wider front and taillights, less aggressive vents at both ends, and smaller wheels and bigger side mirrors, I figured BMW really could use most of the concept’s body. Almost, but not quite is the apparent reality. Sure, my opinion may change less than a month from now, but at this moment the production-spec 8 Series looks like it’s more of an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary design, especially if you were to compare it to the outgoing 6 Series coupe. Ideally, I wanted the 8 Series to feature the concept’s smoother and better integrated side sill, a more pronounced hump over the rear wheels and that front grille. It looked absolutely killer. The production 8 Series is more of what I’m accustomed to with BMW.

It has more “chunk”, if you will, than the concept. The design works no question, but I was hoping for something that more closely resembled the concept. Just swap out the concept’s side mirrors for a useful pair and slightly tone down the front and rear vents. That’s it. That’s what I wanted. But maybe I’m entirely wrong. Maybe I’ll be eating my words. I’ll need to see the new 8 Series in person to make a final judgement. But at this time I see a missed opportunity to really push BMW design into new territory.

BMW Concept iX3 Arrives With 249-Mile Range To Battle Jaguar I-Pace

A production version will arrive in 2020.

Between 2019 and 2025, BMW is planning to launch as many as 12 new electric vehicles, including electric versions of existing models outside of the i range. To preview its upcoming expansion, the automaker has presented the Concept iX3, an all-electric version of the X3 compact crossover. The concept previews a future production model that will be unleashed in 2020 to take on the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes EQC and serve as the automaker’s third pure EV after the facelifted i3 and the upcoming production version of the Mini E.

Styling-wise, the Concept iX3 is clearly inspired by the standard X3, but features a modified kidney grille with blue accents, restyled bumpers, a new rear diffuser element, and aerodynamically-optimized alloy wheels to distinguish it. The redesigned grille will surely divide opinion among BMW fans: in contrast to the twin kidney grilles that have defined BMW cars over the years, the iX3’s grille is blanked out since electric cars obviously don’t need air cooling. The frame around the grille still remains, resulting in a similar shape to Kia’s tiger nose grille. At the heart of the iX3 is a newly developed electric powertrain that develops 270 horsepower.

That makes it more powerful than the standard gasoline-powered X3, but less powerful than the M40i. Combined with a 70kWh battery, BMW claims the Concept iX3 has an electric range of 249 miles under the new Worldwide Harmonised Light-Vehicle Test Procedure. When hooked up to a 150 kW fast-charging station, the electric SUV can be charged up in just 30 minutes. The iX3’s electric powertrain is also more compact than the unit used in the existing i3, with the electric motor, transmission and power electronics grouped into a single component. Its innovative design should significantly reduce production costs.

It can also be produced without any rare earth metals, meaning that BMW won’t be restricted by the material’s limited availability. The production version of the Concept iX3 will be produced in Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang, China, and will be the first of many new upcoming BMW EVs based on its main lineup.

BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe Concept Coming To Geneva

Gran Coupe will follow Coupe and Cabriolet in 8 Series lineup late next year.

The production 8 Series hasn’t yet debuted, but BMW is well into the launch, rolling out a concept, teasers, and a racecar in advance of its arrival. First BMW revealed the 8 Series Concept last May at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (I could just keep saying that all day in my hopeless Italian accent), followed shortly thereafter by a photo shoot of a heavily camouflaged production M8, then the M8 GTE race car in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show (which raced at the 24 Hours of Daytona).

Now word on the interwebs (courtesy of BMWBlog) is that BMW will take the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show to reveal a Gran Coupe Concept of this delectable 8 Series, which will take over as the grand touring coupe and four-door sedan line from the 6 Series nameplate. It will be some time yet before BMW confirms the specs as this will be another concept, but all things point to a range-topping M8 powered by a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 making more than 615 horsepower and a version of the M5’s “M xDrive” all-wheel-drive system.

We also expect to see a more luxury-oriented grand tourer variation with the M760Li’s turbocharged 6.0L V12, a more modestly powered version of the 4.4-liter V8 turbo close to the 750i’s 445 hp and 480 lb-ft, and a plug-in hybrid variant BMW is promising in all its models. And if you’re itching to get your hands on any of these beauties, the 8 Series Coupe should be arriving this summer, followed by the Cabriolet late this year, but the Gran Coupe won’t show up until third quarter of 2019. Oh, and if gorgeous grand touring concepts don’t do it for you, BMW will also have the official reveal of the 2019 X4 and M5 Competition Package in Geneva.

Audi e-tron GT Concept Arrives Before Official Debut

It looks spectacular in the metal.

Set to make its official debut here at the 2018 LA Auto Show, the Audi e-tron GT Concept was revealed to a select few media last night in downtown LA with Robert Downy Jr. doing the honors. Yes, we were there, alas no-one was permitted to take any pictures, but these images of a camouflaged model have now been released. You'll have to wait for images of the car - which looks spectacular - when it premieres to the world tomorrow.

Audi has been teasing what will soon become a Tesla Model S fighter over the past couple weeks, but specific details remain scarce. What we do know is that it shares much of its general underpinnings with the also upcoming Porsche Taycan. Remember, both Porsche and Audi are part of the VW Group.

While the e-tron is an SUV crossover, the e-tron GT takes the shape of a sleek four-door coupe, with a similar silhouette to the A7, sleek athletic lines, a muscular rear end and bags of supercar performance.

We’ve long been huge fans of the liftback body style. It’ll reportedly have a 248-mile range on a single charge and 80 percent of its battery can be recharged in less than 12 minutes as it’ll be the first Audi EV equipped with batteries capable of charging at 350 kWh. In other words, don’t worry about range anxiety because it won’t be a problem. Performance details are yet to be confirmed but Audi told us 0-60 mph will happen in 3.5 seconds.

The e-tron GT, once it reaches production, will be the second pure electric Audi and the German automaker plans to have a total of 12 EVs on the market by 2025.

The few Audi e-tron GT concept images you’re looking at show the vehicle covered in a camouflage wrap of sorts, very similar to what was used to slightly disguise the e-tron SUV concept last summer. The production version is expected to arrive sometime in 2020. We’ll learn a ton of new details starting tomorrow and along with additional images and live shots then as well.

Fiat Fastback Concept Targets BMW X6

Think of it as a Jeep Renegade with sleeker bodywork for South America.

Since the first iteration launched in 2007, the BMW X6 has seen many imitators – but they've almost all been from similarly upscale brands. This one, comes from the decidedly more mass-market Fiat marque.

Unveiled at the Sao Paulo International Auto Show taking place this week in Brazil, the Fiat Fastback envisions a more budget-oriented rival to the likes of BMW's X4 and X6 and the Mercedes GLC and GLE coupes. Little in the way of details were disclosed, but despite the similarity in name, the concept appears to be based not on the Fullback, but on the Toro.

Where the Fullback is essentially a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi L200/Triton, the Toro is a pickup based on the same platform as the Fiat 500X and Jeep Renegade, manufactured in Brazil for the Latin American market and packing some of the same engine options as its platform-mates.

Regardless of its underpinnings, though, the Fastback concept adopts a decidedly different form, with a slanting roofline similar to those we've seen on the aforementioned German crossovers – not to mention the less successful (and short-lived) Acura ZDX, and so many other concepts we've seen in recent years.

Whether Fiat intends to put the concept into production (for the Latin American or other markets) we couldn't say. But while it was arguably the most complete transformation, it wasn't the only show car (or truck) that Fiat's Brazilian division rolled out for Sao Paulo.

Others included the Argo Sting (a yellow sport hatch), Cronos Sport (red sports sedan), Toro Rescue (red pickup), Mobi Way Extreme Cross (white tall hatch), and the Strada Adventure Cross Road pickup (not pictured), as well as the local debut of the newly ruggedized 500X Cross.

Next-Gen BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe To Answer Mercedes-AMG GT Concept

BMW is prepping a Nurburgring lap time-hungry 6 Series.

It wasn’t so long ago that BMW held a reign of terror on the performance car world, outstripping Mercedes and Audi with its angry V10 and V8 M cars that seemed to strike the perfect balance between luxury and delivery of outrageous driving thrill. The M division is still a heavy name in the industry, but AMG has been on the offensive and the world-beating two-door GT is symbolic of how far the brand has come as well as a signal of where it intends to go in the future.

The new trend, it seems, is to gun after Porsche. With the Panamera now being the luxury rocket of choice for elites who take pride in bouncing off of apexes cleanly before handing the keys to a valet at a white tie event, Mercedes had to jump on the bandwagon and deliver the four-door AMG GT Concept. Where does that leave BMW M? With a few luxury sedans and coupes, stupidly fast SUVs, and an M6 Gran Coupe that turns heads but falls just a bit short of the Panamera’s inexplicably sexy ire. Speaking with Kate Alini, Product Manager of BMW North America for the BMW 6 Series and BMW 7 Series at the 2017 New York Auto Show, we learned that BMW is headed down the same route.

The 6 Series has been the subject of much talk lately. Speculation says it will morph into more of a Porsche 911 competitor and build an 8 Series to scoop up the grand touring crowd, although previous bad news indicated that BMW would axe the 6 Series Gran Coupe in favor of the uglier Gran Turismo body style. While Alini didn’t specify which statements would become truth (although she did give a firm no for to a 6 Series wagon), she alluded to a revolutionary 6 Series sedan that would shed its comfort focus and turn into much more of a driver’s car. “The next iteration of the 6 will surprise a lot of people. It will be a showstopper for sure.” Not that luxury will be absent, just that performance will be much higher of a priority.

“In terms of luxury, it will deliver a perfect balance of high end fit and finish on the interior and be striking from the exterior. The next 6 Series is going to be much more of a driving-oriented vehicle though, less for cruising and better at handling.” In our experience, BMW tends to know what it’s doing when setting up sports car suspension that also offers comfort on the autobahn, so it’s not far-fetched to expect the German automaker to build the next 6 Series as more of a Porsche Panamera and four-door AMG GT competitor. So far it’s not too far off the mark. A 2014 comparison between the M6 Gran Coupe, Mercedes CLS63 AMG, and Audi RS6 saw the Bimmer take the second place podium above the Merc.

The Porsche Panamera, however, has raised the bar, bringing Nurburgring lap times and drop-dead gorgeous styling into the mix (on the second generation). The 6 Series is a looker though it could use improvement in this writer’s humble opinion, but performance will be the differentiating factor. Alini alluded to something we all expected, the migration of the Cluster Architecture frame that the 7 Series and G30 5 Series has, to the rest of the lineup. With a stiffer, lighter skeleton and the possibility of an upcoming M5 with an all-wheel drive drivetrain being added to the parts bin, the 6 Series could well come equipped to do battle directly with the Panamera.

Porsche may be a little ahead of the curve in terms of combining raw power with efficiency, especially so with the 680 horsepower Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, but Alini claims that the rest of the BMW lineup is ready for the addition of electricity. With any luck, we’ll be seeing an agile, comfortable 6 Series Gran Coupe in the near future that uses the latest technology the BMW 7 Series has while being boosted by gas-saving and EV-mode capable electric motors. Now remind us, who said the future had to be boring again?

BMW X2 Looks A Lot Like The Sporty Concept In Production Form

Here’s your first look at the production BMW X2.

At last year’s Paris Auto Show, BMW revealed the stylish X2 Concept as a preview for the newest member in its ever-expanding SUV family. Numerous spy shots have shown a prototype version of the coupe-style-crossover out in the wild, and leaked patent images confirmed that the X2 will be going into production. BMW has now released the first official photos of the X2 in production form via lifestyle blog Highsnobiety donning some colorful camouflage – and it looks a lot like the sporty concept model we saw last year.

BMW describes the X2 as a “sporty vehicle with bold character,” and that’s certainly evident in the design which doesn’t deviate too much from the X2 Concept, retaining its sloping roof line and aggressive front end. Notably, the X2 will be the first BMW where the traditional twin kidney grille has air intakes that are more pronounced at the bottom than the top. As the images show, the X2 should blend into an urban environment alongside other fashionable SUVs cruising the streets. Essentially, the X2 looks like it will be a sportier alternative to the X1 to compete with the Range Rover Evoque but positioned below the BMW X4 and BMW X6 as BMW attempts to fill every possible SUV niche.

BMW's baby crossover will ride on the same front-wheel-drive UKL platform as its X1 sibling, meaning you can expect a range of turbocharged three- and four-cylinder engines, with xDrive all-wheel drive available as an option. Most models will only be available with an automatic transmission, but selected models will come with a six-speed manual. BMWBlog also reports that an M version will follow with a maximum power output of 300 hp. Whereas the X3, X4, X5 and X6 are being built at BMW’s US factory in Spartanburg where the upcoming X7 three-row SUV will also be assembled, the X2 will be manufactured at the Regensburg factory in Germany alongside the X1.

The BMW X2 will make its official debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show this September, where BMW is also rumored to show off an X7 concept powered by fuel-cell technology.