#2020 BMW X2 Test Drive

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2020 BMW X2 Specs, Interior, Price

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2020 BMW X2 Specs, Interior, Price

2020 BMW X2 Specs, Interior, Price – The actual 2020 BMW X2 may come as the latest product from your German’s car massive, the Bavarian Electric motor Works. This supplying is planned to introduce a daring new design method about the little sporting activities crossover Sports utility vehicles collection. The latest X2 is actually a deluxe SUV that may not just produce an off-road excitement and definitely will also have a relaxing driving a car encounter. By the carmaker, this 2020 BMW X2 brings together every one of the very best attributes of its prior Sports utility vehicles to art a sporty replacement for its successful X1 version. It blends appealing, and athletic appears with the superb performance so that it pleases anyone who is trying to find functionality and pleasure inside an SUV.

2020 BMW X2 Redesign

Exterior And Interior Design

With regards to the exterior appearance, we saw that typically the 2020 BMW X2 is actually a much more streamlined-seeking and competitive edition of your X1. This kind of SUV can be little, small and developed way better to the floor in comparison to other SUV versions. It offers a competitive-searching top fascia along with a smooth and entirely toned back end finish. German technical engineers decided to add an important steeply raked back windscreen, toned area dresses along with lop-sided tire arches that offer it an athletic genuinely feel.

2020 BMW X2 Exterior

Moreover, the makers have incorporated some slender braking system-lamps to match the entire exterior appear. By far the most popular exterior attribute within this design may be the sloped roofline. The produces a smooth backstop while providing the X2 product with a substance silhouette. Finally, we can easily also notice a far more hitting two-renal system grille along with extra-large atmosphere intakes within this SUV.

The interior part of the 2020 BMW X2 attracts inspirations in the 5 Series’ high-class cabin. Consequently, its internal supplies the highest comfort and ease and the posh you might count on. But due to substantially sloped roofing, never ever plan to get an excessive amount of headroom as well as legroom from the back.

2020 BMW X2 Interior

However, the X2 delivers adequate room right in front. Additionally, it is prone to communicate the correct amount of freight area. With regards to interior components go, this design will most likely incorporate substantial-high quality natural leather, lustrous metallic, and unique timbre. Its cabin definitely will variety a high level the navigation and cruise trip manage in addition to an 8.8-” touchscreen display shows. We may also locate Harman Kardon speakers and environment lead amongst others.

2020 BMW X2 Engine

The dependable provider offered us a tip how the 2020 BMW X2 will undoubtedly make use of the same engine piled beneath the hood in the X1. As a result, it could get provided with a fabulous 2.-litre turbocharged several-tube engine that will strike outside above 200 hp. Also, all the gossip has it that it produces will incorporate a diesel version too. Typically the car’s powertrain receives connected to an 8-10-velocity automated gearbox.

2020 BMW X2 Engine

2020 BMW X2 Release Date And Price

The 2020 BMW X2 remains continuing to denote exposed within its complete develop with the Frankfurt Motor unit Present very early next season. Shipping and delivery for the British are timetabled to get started in the future exactly the same 12 months. The X2 may very well be worth around $40,000. We have been thrilled to find out how this design will probably execute in the sector. Bear in mind, a lot of evaluations have highly regarded it before. Let us hang on and discover regardless of whether it can supply concerning it has the mandates.

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Will the 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe Win Us Over in a Year?

What is it? Who’s going to buy this thing? Why does it exist? Those are just some of the questions people asked (from a safe distance) about the 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe. With the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class as its only competitor, the 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a niche model. For that reason alone, we don’t blame consumers for asking so many questions about this oddball luxury sedan or for not knowing BMW even offers such a model.

Slotting below the legendary 3 Series, the 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the smallest sedan in the German automaker’s lineup. As BMW’s newest entry-level car, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has been tasked with luring new consumers—particularly younger ones—into the brand. That means the 2 Series Gran Coupe must compete with other luxury-badged subcompact cars and fully loaded mainstream models priced around $30,000 to $40,000, making its job that much tougher.

You won’t mistake the 2 Series Gran Coupe for anything else—even in a crowded parking lot. The exterior design was a point of contention during its 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show debut and remains the baby Bimmer’s most controversial aspect well into 2020. Like other BMW Gran Coupe models, the 2 Series Gran Coupe has a swoopy roofline. The compact dimensions and low-slung profile result in an oddly short decklid that suggests there may be a liftgate out back. (There isn’t.) You also get an X2-like mug complete with oversized kidney grilles that look like they could shred you to pieces.

In a surprise move, BMW gave the 2 Series Gran Coupe a generous list of standard equipment. That includes LED headlights, Apple CarPlay integration (Android Auto is promised in late 2020), 10-way power adjustable front seats, and the Active Driving Assistant suite, which bundles together lane departure warning, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, and front automatic emergency braking. Our long-termer also came with extras such as embedded navigation, tasty chocolate brown two-tone leather upholstery, two 10.3-inch displays, 18-inch wheels, and adaptive LED headlights. You can also get adaptive cruise control, an automatic self-parking system, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon surround sound system, but our example didn’t come with those features.

The 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is the first FWD-based BMW sedan in the U.S., sharing the same UKL2 platform as the X1, X2, and Mini’s larger models. Although all 2 Series Gran Coupe models in the U.S. have all-wheel drive, the car operates mainly in front-drive mode, sending up to 50 percent of torque to the rear wheels only when you need extra traction. Our long-term 228i Gran Coupe also has the M Sport package, adding an M Sport suspension and special steering calibration. The 2.0-liter turbo I-4 makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, as it does in its SUV siblings. The EPA rates fuel economy at 23/33 mpg city/highway with the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. We’ll be putting the car through MotorTrend’s rigorous performance testing and EQUA Real MPG evaluation to verify its fuel economy once we’re past BMW’s 1,200-mile recommended break-in period.

We’re looking forward to spending more time with BMW’s new small sedan. The car’s niche yet entry-level positioning piques our interest, and we want to see how this formula fares in today’s ever-changing automotive environment. Will the 2020 2 Series Gran Coupe live up to the BMW badge adorning its hood, or will it divide opinions like the X1 and X2? Is the 2 Series Gran Coupe a better option than a base 3 Series? Will we find answers to the questions that people asked us about the car? We have a year to do all that. Along the way, we hope to find some surprises, too, so stay tuned.

2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe BASE PRICE $38,495 PRICE AS TESTED $48,495 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 2.0L/228-hp/258-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT 3,550 (mfr) WHEELBASE 105.1 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 178.5 x 70.9 x 55.9 in 0-60 MPH 6.0 sec (mfr est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/33/27 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 147/102 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.73 lb/mile

The post Will the 2020 BMW 228i xDrive Gran Coupe Win Us Over in a Year? appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/bmw/2-series/2020/2020-bmw-228i-xdrive-gran-coupe-review-long-term-arrival/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

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Schwarzenegger can't help it: electric Mercedes G-Class

Series production of the electric G-model is not planned for the time being, says Christian Schlögl. Kreisel Electric is currently developing, among other things, drive systems for a large German car manufacturer and for suppliers. So the G-Class remains unique - with a huge celebrity factor as a figurehead for Austrian technology. However, there was no premiere at the Audi booth. The brand with the four rings is very "tired" at NAIAS in Detroit. No world premiere and hardly any visitors to the stand.

The Terminator drives G-Class and the electric

The actor once drove, among other things, a Hummer H2 with hydrogen drive in his role as governor of California. In 2017, however, the governor relied on a battery-electric Mercedes G-Class from the Kreisel Electric company. that only about 70% of the 100% range is used in everyday operation. If a range of 300 km is reached with this 70%, then that is easily enough for normal everyday operation. The "normal citizen" rarely drives long distances. The staging is a symbol of the timelessness of the off-road legend and a conscious reference to the natural phenomenon of insects preserved in amber. published here I think most G-models won't or driven very little off-road, whoever drives off-road usually buys an older model. The vehicle's rechargeable batteries can be charged to 80% in just 25 minutes using quick charge. In the standard version, the Hummer H1 consumes up to 24 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and has an emission of up to 470g CO2 per kilometer - after being “treated” by Kreisel Electric, it will be emission-free in the future. “With our electrified prototypes we want to show what is possible with gyro technology. We will certainly not build the models in series. This also includes the flagship EQS as the electrical equivalent of the S-Class, of which a spectacular concept car was already presented at the IAA 2019. Tuning Tuning for the Audi SQ8 TDI More diesel power from Abt Abt increases the already exuberant performance ex works and also sharpens the optics range up to 57 kilometers. New BMW X2 x-Drive 25e (2020) The X2 is also a plug-in hybrid BMW is also launching its plug-in SUV coupé. Like the Hummer H1, the Mercedes G presented in Kitzbühel is a project with which Kreisel Electric wants to demonstrate competence. The engineers had already converted several standard cars with their own technology into potent electric vehicles. The Mercedes G fits into the picture. Welcome to Detroit City! The new G-Class (W463) was presented at the North American International Auto Show last weekend. Although leaked pictures of the new G-Class were already on the web a few days before the world premiere, the tension on the new G-Wagon did not detract from this. The Michigan Theater, which has actually crumbled "Detroit-like" and functions as a parking garage, was quickly converted into a G-Rassic Park by Mercedes-Benz. A breathtaking backdrop! Mercedes-Fans.de was on site and summarizes the most important events again. 4x4Schweiz.ch is the first all-wheel drive online magazine in Switzerland. Find out from us interesting 4x4 news about all brands, exciting 4x4 test reports, current 4x4 events and everything about 4x4 clubs in Switzerland. It competes with the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. However, there is already an electric G-Class, because the Austrian company Kreisel Electric has removed the internal combustion engine and replaced it with an electric drive train. Kreisel Electric and none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger have already presented electrical conversions of the Hummer H1 and the G-Class. The latter delivers 483 hp and manages the sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in 5.6 seconds before reaching the end of the flagpole at 183 km / h.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger drives a Mercedes G-Class with electric drive

"At least the construction with a lead frame would be well suited to accommodate the batteries," says Güthenke. This is really a nice toy. Technically, this is entirely feasible, the Swabians now explained. And for "trekking tours in the desert" or "at the front" you only have to install sockets there.

Top articles and videos

More for bankers and society hairdressers. Gunnar Güthenke, responsible for all SUVs from Mercedes and thus also for the G-Class, indicated in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport that the series would later also be available in an electric or hybrid version. Technically, thanks to its ladder frame, it is no problem to equip the off-roader with an electric motor and battery.

But seriously. Such a car is primarily built for the terrain. Spontaneously I think of Iceland, Morocco or Central and South America. This also includes the flagship EQS as the electrical equivalent of the S-Class, of which a spectacular concept car was already presented at the IAA 2019. Tuning Tuning for the Audi SQ8 TDI More diesel power from Abt Abt increases the already exuberant performance ex works and also sharpens the optics range up to 57 kilometers.News go to this web-site a> BMW X2 x-Drive 25e (2020) The X2 also comes as a plug-in hybrid BMW also launches its SUV coupe in a connector variant. Like the Hummer H1, the Mercedes G presented in Kitzbühel is a project with which Kreisel Electric wants to demonstrate competence. The engineers had already converted several standard cars with their own technology into potent electric vehicles. The Mercedes G fits into the picture. Mercedes-Fans.de was on site and summarizes the most important events again. 4x4Schweiz.ch is the first all-wheel drive online magazine in Switzerland. Find out from us interesting 4x4 news about all brands, exciting 4x4 test reports, current 4x4 events and everything about 4x4 clubs in Switzerland. In the future, "Governor" Arnold Schwarzenegger will be cruising through his adopted California home with the one-off, the price or manufacturing costs of which the company does not comment. The Austrian electric car specialist Kreisel has electrified two off-road vehicles for Arnold Schwarzenegger - a Mercedes G and a Hummer H1. "We assume that the car will do better than a normal G-Class in difficult terrain because of the high torque that is already at a standstill," said Christian Schlögl. On our e-mobility portal EFAHRER.com you will find all e-vehicles & hybrids available on the German market with technical data, prices, delivery times and model comparisons. Thanks to quick charging technology, according to Kreisel, charging up to 80 percent of the battery capacity is possible in 25 minutes. Kreisel - a specialist for electrical drive components based in Kitzbühel - wants to demonstrate its expertise in e-mobility with the conversion of the Mercedes G-Class. The basis was a G 350 d from 2016, in which the internal combustion engine was replaced by several electric motors. The e-machines are designed to mobilize a total of 360 kW / 490 PS, which allows a sprint time of 5.6 seconds and just over 180 km / h top speed.

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Range Rover Evoque evolui sem fazer alarde

Com as devidas ressalvas, a segunda geração do Land Rover Range Rover Evoque sofre do mesmo mal que assolou o EcoSport quando o Ford mudou. O que os olhos podem ver mudou menos que as partes técnicas e mecânicas.

O novo Evoque chega ao País importado da Inglaterra por R$ 322.300. Inicialmente, apenas na versão P300 HSE R-Dynamic com o chamado Pacote Brasil. O SUV foi completamente renovado. Da geração anterior sobraram apenas as dobradiças das portas, de acordo com informações da Land Rover.

Em relação ao preço, o novo Evoque está posicionado acima da média da categoria. Os BMW X1 e X2 nas versões de topo, por exemplo, saem a R$ 232.950 e 246.950, respectivamente.

O Volvo XC40 R-Design é tabelado a R$ 227.950. E o Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 Sport custa R$ 246.900. Na mesma faixa do Evoque estão as versões esportivas do X2 (M35i) e do GLA (AMG 45). Os preços desses modelos são de R$ 313.950 e R$ 379.950, respectivamente.

A Land Rover promete trazer também a versão P250, mais barata que a P300 HSE R-Dynamic. Essa opção terá o mesmo motor 2.0 flexível com turbo que gera 240 cv e equipava a primeira geração do Evoque. Ainda assim o preço deverá ficar acima da média dos SUVs de luxo vendidos no Brasil.

No visual, o novo Evoque manteve as linhas gerais da carroceria que fizeram sucesso e inspiraram os outros SUVs da marca, como o Velar. Entre as novidades estão os faróis com atualizações no desenho e nas assinaturas de LEDs. Atrás, as lanternas mantiveram as linhas gerais, mas ficaram mais estreitas e requintadas.

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Tudo que sabemos sobre o novo Land Rover Defender

A tônica de evolução também está na cabine. O painel de instrumentos é virtual e tem tela de 12,3 polegadas. A da central multimídia tem 10″ e há uma terceira tela, de 5”, logo abaixo dela.

O volante também é novo e ganhou comandos multifuncionais sensíveis ao toque. Para alterar o volume do som, por exemplo, basta apertar o sinal de “+” ou “-” ou deslizar o dedo no sentido de um para o outro.

Como na primeira geração do SUV, o interior é todo revestido de couro. Esse material cobre inclusive o painel e tem textura agradável ao toque. Na prática, a marca manteve o bom padrão de qualidade do acabamento do modelo da primeira geração.

De série há itens como faróis de LEDs, alerta de ponto cego e vários sistemas ativados por meio de comandos de voz. Seis air bags, controles de tração e estabilidade, teto solar panorâmico, ar-condicionado com duas zonas e freio de estacionamento com acionamento elétrico também vêm de fábrica. Assim como câmera 360º, controles de velocidade adaptativo e de partida e descida de rampas.

O pacote Brasil adiciona detalhes pretos na carroceria. Como na inscrição do nome “Range Rover” no capô e na tampa do porta-malas, além das entradas de ar nas laterais.

Conheça a história do Land Rover Defender

INSCREVA-SE NO CANAL DO JORNAL DO CARRO NO YOUTUBE

Uma das novidades mais interessantes são as funções Clear Sight View e Ground View. A primeiro associa uma tela integrada no espelho retrovisor interno com a câmera no teto. Esse recurso permite ter uma visão perfeita do que acontece atrás do SUV mesmo com lotação máxima e porta-malas cheio até o teto.

O Ground View associa a câmera na parte inferior do para-choque dianteiro com as duas localizadas abaixo dos espelhos externos. O conjunto forma uma imagem única da parte inferior da dianteira do Evoque, como se o capô fosse transparente.

Essa função só pode ser ativada com o SUV rodando a até 35 km/h. Portanto, é ideal para manobras, como as de estacionamento, e para evitar obstáculos no fora-de-estrada.

O novo Evoque manteve o sistema Terrain Response. Por meio dele é possível alterar os ajustes da tração integral conforme o tipo de piso. Além do modo automático, que faz tudo sozinho, há opções para asfalto, areia, grama, cascalho e neve, e lama e buracos.

Nova plataforma

O Evoque utiliza uma plataforma, batizada de PTA. Segundo informações da Land Rover, essa evolução permitiu aumentar em 13% a rigidez estrutural do SUV. Além disso, a distância entre os eixos cresceu em 21 mm e o espaço no porta-malas foi ampliado de 575 litros para 591 l.

Ao longo do test drive de cerca de 450 km, o novo Evoque provou que manteve as virtudes da primeira geração, como a boa estabilidade e o conforto de sobra. A suspensão independente nas duas rodas, com sistema multi-link na traseira, foi mantida.

No asfalto, o conjunto garante conforto exemplar e nas curvas, mantém a carroceria sempre firme. No fora de estrada, o novo Evoque também entrega boa dose de conforto. A capacidade para transpor áreas alagados aumentou de 50 cm para 60 cm, segundo dados da marca.

É fácil encontrar a posição ideal ao volante e ergonomia agrada. Já os bancos poderiam ser melhores. Há pouco apoio para as pernas de quem tem mais de 1,80 m de altura. O assento, além de curto, é estreito. Atrás, o espaço também é reduzido. Apenas dois adultos viajam bem acomodados.

Novo motor para o Evoque

O motor 2.0 turbo do Evoque também é novo. Da família Ingenium, o quatro-cilindros gera 300 cv de potência e 40,8 mkgf de torque. O câmbio automático de nove velocidades foi mantido.

Outro destaque é o sistema híbrido leve de 48V. Isso significa que o alternador e o motor de partida foram substituídos por um um único motor elétrico. Isso permite reduzir o consumo de gasolina, uma vez que o sistema não “rouba” energia do 2.0 turbo para mover polias e correias, por exemplo.

Esse conjunto dá agilidade ao Evoque e garante boas respostas aos comandos do acelerador. O câmbio faz trocas rápidas e sem trancos. Há aletras atrás do volante para passagens manuais de marcha.

O senão é que o sistema não aceita o comando do motorista se o modo “D”, de Drive, estiver selecionado. Só dá para “cambiar” manualmente com o câmbio na posição “S”, de Sport.

Aliás, nesta segunda geração do Evoque a Land Rover adotou alavanca convencional de câmbio. No modelo da primeira geração, um dos itens que chamava a atenção era o seletor giratório para trocas de marcha posicionado no console central.

FICHA TÉCNICA 

Motor: 2.0, 4 cil., 16V, turbo Potência: 300 cv a 5.500 rpm Torque: 40,8 mkgf entre 1.500 rpm e 4.500 rpm Câmbio: Automático, 9 marchas Tração: Integral (4×4) sob demanda Peso: 1.850 kg

https://jornaldocarro.estadao.com.br/carros/range-rover-evoque-2020-avaliacao/ visto pela primeira vez em https://jornaldocarro.estadao.com.br

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Review: Is the new baby BMW any good? - The Globe and Mail

Open this photo in gallery

The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe. BMW/Handout Car companies often behave like children. What one company gets, all the others suddenly need to have too. The three big German luxury brands are notorious for this behaviour. For decades, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have been chasing each other down ever-stranger rabbit holes: fastback SUVs, four-door versions of two-door coupes, mildly sporty sub-compact crossovers. For a while, sales were booming – like somebody in product planning said ‘there are no bad ideas’ and everyone took it literally. Which brings us to this new baby BMW. It came as a bit of a shock when engineers in Munich whipped the sheet off to reveal... what exactly? It’s called the 2 Series Gran Coupe. It exists in a niche-of-a-niche as a sub-compact entry-level fastback sedan-coupe thing. Frankenstein would’ve been impressed. Story continues below advertisement It’s called the 2 Series, but one engineer mentioned it’s roughly the same size as the 3 Series sedan from 10 years ago. Adults can fit in the back seat, which is not a given in this category. The rear door of the BMW is minuscule, but once inside there’s room for four. The dashboard is immediately impressive. It’s stuffed with high-resolution screens which are neatly integrated into the cabin architecture and not simply stuck onto the dash like an afterthought. The Gran Coupe gets BMW’s next-gen infotainment system, which hasn’t even made its way into some of the brand’s more expensive vehicles yet. “The target group is young urban professionals, early 30s, single or starting a family,” said Jochen Schmalholz, product manager for the new 2 Series Gran Coupe. As an entry point into the brand, it’s an important vehicle, he added. Audi has done well in Canada with its entry-level ($33,400) A3 sedan, selling over 4,000 of them last year, according to GoodCarBadCar data. Mercedes did so well with its sub-compact ($40,300) CLA sedan, it is launching two more entry-level cars this year: the A-Class sedan and A-Class hatchback. Until now, BMW was the only one without a real competitor in this game. BMW picks insider Oliver Zipse as CEO to catch up with rivals 2020 Audi A4 sedan and A4 Allroad: What car companies can learn from Apple BMW’s 2020 X3 M and X4 M are crossovers that drive like track cars Open this photo in gallery

The 2 Series Gran Coupe feels dense but slices into corners, resisting understeer and tracking true. BMW/Handout In Munich, engineers rolled out a couple of camouflaged 2 Series Gran Coupe prototypes for us to drive. They won’t arrive in Canadian dealerships until March 2020, but the engineers said the cars we drove were in the final phase of testing. Those who expected the new baby BMW to be a frisky, tail-happy car like the rear-wheel drive 2 Series Coupe will be disappointed. Confusingly, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is based on an entirely different chassis. It has front-wheel drive, although all Canadian models will likely have all-wheel drive as standard. Nevertheless, the new BMW handles with the crispness of a good schnitzel. The steering is lightly weighted and quick-witted. The car feels dense – like a bulldog – but it nevertheless slices into corners, resisting understeer and tracking true. That’ll be enough sportiness for most, especially if you’ve got a kid in the back seat. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement (To all the diehard gearheads: don’t worry. BMW says the 2 Series coupe – one of the most entertaining, bang-for-your-buck sports cars out there – will stick around as a rear-drive model.) Pricing has yet to be decided, but the basic 228i model is sure to be one of the most affordable cars in BMW’s lineup. The 228 horsepower engine felt sluggish mated to the eight-speed automatic gearbox, but this is a machine for price-point buyers. If you’re looking for German luxury cars with the lowest monthly payment, this car will be on your list. There’s no issue with sluggishness in the M235i, which gets BMW’s most powerful four-cylinder engine to date. With 301 horsepower it propels the car with the sort of neck-straining acceleration you expect from the Bavarians. The Mercedes A-Class is our current benchmark in this entry-level luxury class, mainly because of its zesty handling and incredibly high-quality cabin. BMW’s new 2 Series Gran Coupe is – to put it politely – more challenging to look at, but the cabin is easily the equal of Mercedes. It seems strange, but it’s a smart copycat move by BMW. While the sub-compact-German-luxury-fastback-sedan is an odd niche, these vehicles do entice new buyers into luxury brands. The relatively affordable (circa $400 monthly) lease payments make sure of that. In other words, this is one strange automotive niche that will get more crowded in the coming years. Story continues below advertisement Tech Specs BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe Base Price: TBD ($40,000 estimate) Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo Transmissions: 8-speed automatic Fuel economy (l/100 km): TBD Drive: All-wheel drive Alternatives: Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz CLA, A-Class, Acura ILX A-Spec Looks It’s better without camouflage, but BMW’s recent designs are messy. Odd proportions don’t help. It’s tall, bulbous looking and not as sleek as its most direct competitor, the new Mercedes CLA. Interior It’s more spacious than it looks. I’m 5”11, but the headroom wasn’t an issue for me in the front or back. Expect to spend at least a few thousand dollars on options to make it feel like a real luxury car though. Performance It’s very different from the rear-drive 2 Series coupe. This is essentially a lowered X2 SUV. A clever new torque vectoring system and a limited-slip differential on the front axle make the car eager for the occasional on-ramp blast. We’ll need more seat time for a real verdict. Technology How this car handles Canada’s potholed roads remains an unanswered question. Adjustable suspension will be optional, but the standard springs and dampers handled Munich’s smooth roads with aplomb. Cargo The sedan-style trunk can hold 450-litres of stuff. Plus, there’s more storage hidden under the trunk floor. Story continues below advertisement Verdict Odd, but a strong rival to the A-Class and A3. Score pending until we drive the final version. The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval. Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price. Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up today. Read the full article

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Volkswagen T-Roc R 2020 long-term review

Why we're running it:To see if VW can succeed where rivals have failed and give us a fast crossover that's as good to drive as a hot hatchWelcoming the T-Roc R to the fleet - 5 August 2020Temporarily, at least,the T-Roc Rrepresents the pinnacle ofVolkswagen'sperformance division output. From an enthusiast's perspective, that might seem a somewhat strange mantle for a jacked-up compact crossover to assume, but withthe Mk7 Golf Rmega-hatch being withdrawn from sale shortly after the T-Roc R's launch last year, that's the situation in which we find ourselves.For what it's worth, I think the launch of a more hardcore version of Volkswagen's second-smallest SUV is a pretty encouraging statement of intent. In fact, when the T-Roc R was first unveiled, Jost Capito – the man who heads up Volkswagen's R division – told Autocar that the task he'd been given was to "make R to Volkswagen what M is to BMW".That's by no means an aim lacking in ambition, but based on the news that has been emerging from Volkswagen over the past few weeks and months, it isn't an idle one, either. obd2 scanners. So there'll be anR version of the Arteon four-door coupéin a few months' time, as well as a shooting brake model. Therecently facelifted Tiguan will join the R rangein the autumn. We got a look atthe plug-in hybrid V6-engined Touareg Rearlier this year, andthe Golf R will make its returnin Mk8 guise before the year's end. Capito and his team have certainly been busy.Volkswagen arrives late at the crossover hatchback party. But can the T-Roc still turn heads in a congested segment?But for now, it's the T-Roc R. Its arrival on the Autocar long-term test fleet will provide an opportunity for us to determine whether or not it represents a worthy addition to the R family while we also examine the pros and cons of living with a performance crossover compared with, say, a more traditional hot hatch. Given the fact thatthe last long-termer my road test colleagues and I ran in earnest was a Renault Mégane RS , I'd say we're pretty well placed to find out.For anyone well versed in small, fast Volkwagens (orAudisandCupras , for that matter), the T-Roc R's mechanical specification won't come as much of a surprise. It's based on the VW Group's MQB architecture and uses the same EA888 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine that appeared in the previous Golf R. It develops the same 296bhp and 295lb ft as it did in its hatchback sibling and deploys it through a familiar combination of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and part-time Haldex clutch-based four-wheel drive system.Dimensionally, it's a bit different, of course, being both shorter in length and wheelbase than the previous Golf, but also taller, wider and (slightly) heavier than the hatchback. There's a more aggressive suspension tune that makes its ride height 20mm lower than a standard T-Roc's, as well as a new aluminium front subframe and revised engine mounts. UK cars get smart-looking 19in Pretoria alloy wheels as standard and the larger performance brakes that were once an option on the Golf R are also included free of charge.All of this combines to paint the T-Roc R as a seriously quick cross-country machine, at least on paper. With its standard-fit launch control engaged and Race mode selected, it can cover 0-62mph in just 4.8sec, Volkswagen claims, and it has a top speed of 155mph. So it's easily in the same ballpark as the likes ofthe Cupra Ateca ,Audi SQ2andBMW X2 M35iin terms of performance, although with a base price of £40,735, the T-Roc R is pricier than its VW Group compatriots, if cheaper than the BMW.And when you delve into the options list, there's scope to bump up that price even further – as demonstrated by our, shall we say, enthusiastically specced, £47,844 long-termer. Its headline option is the titanium Akrapovic sports exhaust, which adds a hefty £3050 to the bill but, as well as shaving 7kg, makes the T-Roc R sound a bit naughtier than it otherwise would.Other options include – but aren't limited to – a rearview camera (£190), Lapiz Blue metallic paint (£755), a Winter Pack with heated front seats (£305) and keyless entry (£400). The most i...

[topmag222]

New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/bmw/2020b-mw-x2/

2020B MW X2

The 2020 BMW X2 is a beautiful, luxurious sub-compact SUV. The coupe-like BMW X2 2020 has a stylish cabin with high-quality materials. The turbocharged engine provides plenty of power, and the SUV is well-equipped with standard technology and safety features such as Apple CarPlay and forward braking assist with brake assist. On the other hand, the BMW X2 costs a little more than its closest competitors, and its rear seat and cargo space are sufficient by class standards.

#gallery-11 margin: auto; #gallery-11 .gallery-item float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 11%; #gallery-11 img border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; #gallery-11 .gallery-caption margin-left: 0; /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

2020 BMW X2 M35i

BMW X2 2020 Blue

2020 BMW X2 xDrive28i Interior

2020 BMW X2 White

2020 BMW X2 M35i Interior

2020 BMW X2 Interior

2020 BMW X2 Black

2020 BMW X2 Interior

2020 BMW X2 M35i

The 2020 X2 is definitely worth a look, but there are a few alternatives in this segment that you may want to check out first. For example, the Volvo XC40 and the Audi Q3 both offer similar refinement and practicality, but at a more affordable price point than the BMW. However, the toughest competition of the X2 may come from its own BMW X1 class., not only does the X1 have more seating and boot space than the sleek X2, but it offers similar equipment at a lower starting price.

2020B MW X2 Interior

The 2020 BMW X2 has five seats. The front seats are comfortable and offer ample head and leg space, even for larger drivers and passengers. The supporting rear seats are also cozy, but the rear headroom is a little tight for adults; three kids just have to fit in nicely. Synthetic leather upholstery and eight-way adjustable front seats are standard, while leather and heated front seats are available.

BMW X2 2020 Mediterranean Blue

There are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for child seat security in the X2, and it is relatively easy to use. The X2 earns good marks for its interior. The cabin has a minimalist design, and most surfaces are adorned with stylish upholstery, soft-touch of plastic and metallic accents. However, there are some hard plastics in less obvious places. Wind noise is also very noticeable at highway speeds, but the same can be said of other vehicles in this segment.

2020B MW X2 Engine

The BMW X2 of 2020 has two engines to choose from. The sDrive28i front-wheel drive and the xDrive28i four-wheel drive are equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that delivers 228 horsepower and 258 pounds of torque. The four-wheel-drive M35i has an upgraded version of this engine that produces 301 horsepower and a torque of 331 pounds. Both are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This high-performance engine helps to transport the X2 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, and this speed bump is met with sporty snarls and exhaust pipe cracks. It’s too much for daily driving, but definitely enjoyable if you want a performance SUV.

2020 BMW X2 xDrive28i Interior

2020 BMW X2 M35i

The X2 sDrive28i gets 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, which is average by class standards. Ratings drop to 24/31 mpg city/highway with the AWD xDrive28i. The sportier M35i returns 23/30 mpg. The most efficient SUV in this class is the Lexus UX Hybrid, which can achieve a high 43/41 mpg.

2020B MW X2 Safety

Neither the National Highway Administration for Road Safety nor the Highway Safety Institute put the 2020 X2 to the test. However, the IIHS rated the nearly identical 2019 X2 a top safety choice. The 2020 X2 is available as standard with a rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, and the Active Driving Assistant package. This suite includes forward-collision warning, low-speed automatic emergency braking, lane scatter warning, automatic large beam headlights, and road sign recognition. Optional driver assistance features include customizable cruise control, hands-free parallel parking assistance and a head screen display.

[magtop22]

New Post has been published on Top Auto Magazine

New Post has been published on https://topautomag.com/cars/bmw/2020b-mw-x2/

2020B MW X2

The 2020 BMW X2 is a beautiful, luxurious sub-compact SUV. The coupe-like BMW X2 2020 has a stylish cabin with high-quality materials. The turbocharged engine provides plenty of power, and the SUV is well-equipped with standard technology and safety features such as Apple CarPlay and forward braking assist with brake assist. On the other hand, the BMW X2 costs a little more than its closest competitors, and its rear seat and cargo space are sufficient by class standards.

#gallery-8 margin: auto; #gallery-8 .gallery-item float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 11%; #gallery-8 img border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; #gallery-8 .gallery-caption margin-left: 0; /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

2020 BMW X2 M35i

BMW X2 2020 Blue

2020 BMW X2 xDrive28i Interior

2020 BMW X2 White

2020 BMW X2 M35i Interior

2020 BMW X2 Interior

2020 BMW X2 Black

2020 BMW X2 Interior

2020 BMW X2 M35i

The 2020 X2 is definitely worth a look, but there are a few alternatives in this segment that you may want to check out first. For example, the Volvo XC40 and the Audi Q3 both offer similar refinement and practicality, but at a more affordable price point than the BMW. However, the toughest competition of the X2 may come from its own BMW X1 class., not only does the X1 have more seating and boot space than the sleek X2, but it offers similar equipment at a lower starting price.

2020B MW X2 Interior

The 2020 BMW X2 has five seats. The front seats are comfortable and offer ample head and leg space, even for larger drivers and passengers. The supporting rear seats are also cozy, but the rear headroom is a little tight for adults; three kids just have to fit in nicely. Synthetic leather upholstery and eight-way adjustable front seats are standard, while leather and heated front seats are available.

BMW X2 2020 Mediterranean Blue

There are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for child seat security in the X2, and it is relatively easy to use. The X2 earns good marks for its interior. The cabin has a minimalist design, and most surfaces are adorned with stylish upholstery, soft-touch of plastic and metallic accents. However, there are some hard plastics in less obvious places. Wind noise is also very noticeable at highway speeds, but the same can be said of other vehicles in this segment.

2020B MW X2 Engine

The BMW X2 of 2020 has two engines to choose from. The sDrive28i front-wheel drive and the xDrive28i four-wheel drive are equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that delivers 228 horsepower and 258 pounds of torque. The four-wheel-drive M35i has an upgraded version of this engine that produces 301 horsepower and a torque of 331 pounds. Both are equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This high-performance engine helps to transport the X2 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, and this speed bump is met with sporty snarls and exhaust pipe cracks. It’s too much for daily driving, but definitely enjoyable if you want a performance SUV.

2020 BMW X2 xDrive28i Interior

2020 BMW X2 M35i

The X2 sDrive28i gets 24 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, which is average by class standards. Ratings drop to 24/31 mpg city/highway with the AWD xDrive28i. The sportier M35i returns 23/30 mpg. The most efficient SUV in this class is the Lexus UX Hybrid, which can achieve a high 43/41 mpg.

2020B MW X2 Safety

Neither the National Highway Administration for Road Safety nor the Highway Safety Institute put the 2020 X2 to the test. However, the IIHS rated the nearly identical 2019 X2 a top safety choice. The 2020 X2 is available as standard with a rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, and the Active Driving Assistant package. This suite includes forward-collision warning, low-speed automatic emergency braking, lane scatter warning, automatic large beam headlights, and road sign recognition. Optional driver assistance features include customizable cruise control, hands-free parallel parking assistance and a head screen display.

[componentplanet]

BMW M2 X35i SUV Review: The 2002 tii Reimagined for Modern Times

The BMW X2 M35i is a wicked-fast small SUV that retains a measure of practicality — meaning room for four not-overweight people, and their clothing tightly packed in soft-sided luggage. The X2 M exists for the swooping, twisty roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and similar back roads across America and Canada. Even if it’s an SUV coupe, this vehicle is what BMW’s famous 2002 tii would be half a century later, allowing for changes in norms and for how well a good SUV can handle.

The X2 M is also a simple vehicle to understand: 0-60 in less than five seconds, 35 mpg at 65 mph, a punishing ride with the stock suspension, eight grand more than the X2 without the M parts. Other than blind spot detection being unavailable, the tech and driver assists are reasonably good. Nothing else significant is wrong.

Nobody needs this car, but if you can swing $50K-$55K, you’re in for a treat.

On the Road: Fast, Fun, Bouncy

This review applies to both the 2019 and 2020 models; the X2 M was introduced in the first half of 2019. The X2 M35i is a positive delight to drive. The engine is throaty and there’s a satisfying blip when it upshifts under heavy throttle. Almost no one argues with the comfort of BMW seats. The Magma Red leather upholstery makes up for decades of unimaginative beige-or-black BMW seating choices. Mine had power-adjustable side bolsters for the track and twisty side roads.

On recently paved interstates, the car was fabulously comfortable; in states that don’t pay attention to highway infrastructure (this means you, Pennsylvania), it was mile after mile of punishing jolts. My test car was well-optioned but lacked the adaptive suspension option ($500) that could only have softened the ride. The X2 M falls into the list of cars where you must bring your partner or spouse along on the test drive. The stiff ride is the price you pay for a rigid body and suspension that is responsive to the road. The brakes on my test car were grabby at low speed; other testers on other cars have mentioned the same issue. There are no complaints about high-speed braking.

The X2 M with the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine has what reviewers often call “barely noticeable turbo lag.” Translation: There’s noticeable turbo lag at low rpm if you want to get a quick start from a standing stop. It feels like the better part of a second. It’s not there if you’re tooling along in a lower gear at higher rpm because the turbo is already engaged. Zero-to-60 acceleration takes 6-7 seconds if you tromp the throttle. If you want the 4.7 seconds BMW cites in the specs, see Launch Control on page 129 of the manual: Get the engine warmed up (20 minutes), press the DSC button, move the driving style button to Sport, foot on the brake, other foot pushing all the way down on throttle, lift off the brake, and watch the car rocket off with no wheelspin. Microprocessors control the standing-still rpm and launch to ensure against over-revving the engine.

The snug, bolstered front seats prefer people of normal size. The second row has an adequate fit and the roof slopes less than in the bigger X4 and X6. Interestingly, passenger roominess is about the same among the X1, X2, and X3 except the X3 has 1-2 more inches headroom than the X2. The luggage area will hold enough soft-side luggage for four if no more than one is a clothes-horse. Especially if you remove the modesty cover and pile luggage to the ceiling.

There is very little road noise. The premium Harman Kardon audio is quite good. There’s one USB jack in the center stack, one in the console, and two in back. All but the front jack are the newer USB-C. The X2 M continues the BMW tradition of charging a yearly subscription for the right to use an Apple iPhone and not supporting Android phones. Switching between CarPlay and BMW infotainment can be clumsy; non-BMWs have similar issues. Telematics is integrated and Mayday calling services are free for 10 years.

It’s a BMW, so the X2 has the iDrive controller. The same setup that was annoying in the X7 works better in the X2 because your line of sight isn’t blocked by the X2 shifter and you can see the buttons surrounding the control wheel. It’s still hard to see some of the backlit dashboard buttons; the universal dimmer makes some parts too dark and others too bright. The optional head-up display can be adjusted independently.

At 172 inches long, the X2 is firmly in subcompact territory. It fits well in snug urban parking spaces and you’ll probably want the $200 parking assistant option. Adaptive cruise control is stop-and-go. Lane departure is standard but warning-0nly, not lane keep assist and not the lane-centering assist that is part of BMW’s semi-autonomous Active Driving Assistant Pro system. BMW does not offer blind-spot detection on this X2; it should. It does have the basic optical driver safety assists: forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and auto-braking separate from adaptive cruise control.

The X2 M is not a hybrid drive car but there is brake-energy regeneration to the battery, which powers the car’s electrically powered accessories. I averaged 32 mph in mostly highway driving, and for the span of 100 miles driven at 60-65 mph, I got 36 mpg.

The X2 M35i measures 172 inches long, 72 inches wide, 60 inches high. The X1 is 3 inches longer and higher but passenger space is no greater. The compact X3 is 13 inches longer with similar legroom and more headroom.

What Exactly Is an X2 M35i?

BMW’s naming scheme is precise and sometimes wordy. Vehicles run from 1 Series to 8 Series for sedans (even numbers) and coupes (odd numbers), small to large. SUVs run from X1 to (so far) X7, with SUV couples getting the even numbers. M means a performance version (Motorsport). The two digits years ago signified how many liters displacement (in tenths); now it includes a rough multiplier for turbocharging, so 35 means the 2.0-liter turbo’s 302 hp is about what you’d expect from a 3.5-liter six with no turbo. i is for fuel injection, which all BMWs are, except diesels (no longer sold here) that end in d.

BMW X2 M35i and early-1970s BMW 2002 tii performance model with fuel injection and sportier suspension. 1974-76 2002s got massive USA safety bumpers that made the car 9 inches longer, 100 pounds heavier.

Meet the New 2002 tii: X2 M35i (Not the M2 Coupe)

I drove the X2 from New Jersey to Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, where BMW builds most of the world’s SUVs and where 1,300 BMW Car Club of America enthusiasts gathered last week for the club’s 50th annual Oktoberfest convention to celebrate their cars, drive in road rallies and at BMW’s Performance Center by day, and then drink Oktoberfest beer by night. Many of them have gravitated toward the brand’s roadsters, convertibles, and performance offerings. The same events happen with Corvette, Porsche, Mazda, and Mustang owners in different locales each year as well, and the members are enthusiastic brand-recommenders to friends and relatives. Automakers get good ROI supporting their events and showing off their latest to their fans (photo below).

New BMW M8 Competition ($150K) laying down a long stretch of tire smoke at the BMW Performance Center, Spartanburg, SC. All in the name of building the brand with BMW club members.

In 1968, BMW landed on the map when Ziff-Davis’ Car and Driver magazine — the same company as publishes ExtremeTech today — reviewed the BMW 2002, which begat the 2002 tii. Headlined “Turn Your Hymnals to 2002,” the appreciation by Editor David E. Davis was a booster rocket for BMW visibility and sales on American shores. While companies are beginning to doubt the 2019 value of pay-to-play social media influencers, there is seldom doubt that an enthusiastic and impartial editor can be priceless in pointing out what to buy and what to avoid when the product but not the writer is for sale. Davis warned drivers of other sporty cars they were about to be blown in the weeds, and this was about the pre-tii 2002:

Car and Driver’s 1968 BMW 2002 review.

In the suburbs, Biff Everykid and Kevin Acne and Marvin Sweatsock will press their fathers to buy HO Firebirds with tachometers mounted out near the horizon somewhere and enough power to light the city of Seattle, totally indifferent to the fact that they could fit more friends into a BMW [2002] in greater comfort and stop better and go around corners better and get about 29 times better gas mileage.

Mr. and Mrs. America will paste a “Support Your Local Police” sticker on the back bumper of their new T-Bird and run Old Glory up the radio antenna and never know that for about 2500 bucks less they could have gotten a car with more leg room, more head room, more luggage space, good brakes, decent tires, independent rear suspension, a glove box finished like the inside of an expensive overcoat and an ashtray that slides out like it was on the end of a butler’s arm—not to mention a lot of other good stuff they didn’t even know they could get on an automobile, like doors that fit and seats that don’t make you tired when you sit in them. So far as I’m concerned, to hell with all of ’em. If they’re content to remain in the automotive dark, let them.

The 2002 tii followed in 1971 and boosted the 2002’s horsepower from 114 hp to 130 using fuel injection over carburetors. Quaint numbers: The X2 M35i is good for 302 hp and 322 pound-feet of torque. Back then, sedans were pretty much all BMW sold, although there were touring versions, European terminology for hatchbacks and station wagons. The 2002/2002 tii was BMW’s clear best-seller then.

Now, the two best-selling models in the BMW lineup are the X3 and X5. X designates SUVs, which BMW calls sports activity vehicles (SAVs) and sports activity coupes (SACs). SUV/SAV/SAC sales climbed to 52 percent of the 311,014 BMW brand sales last year. All except the X1 have M (Motorsport) versions, although the X2 M is not considered quite as Motorsport-ish as the X3 to X6 M vehicles.

Some fanatical owners will argue long, hard, and loud that the M2 Coupe is the logical successor to the 2002 tii. For them, maybe so. At the same time, the X2 M35i will lap a racetrack competitively. It is only 4.5 inches taller than the 2002. The M2 Competition coupe does 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, the X2 M35i does it in 4.7 seconds. Unless you’re on a race track, that is more power than anybody needs for daily driving. There is no on-ramp in America where the M35i can’t reach 60 mph before you have to merge (0-60 takes the length of a football field), even get 10 mph beyond past the speed limit so you can merge ahead of the 18-wheeler that has a convoy of a dozen cars tailgating it in the right-hand lane and paralleling your car. [Sounds like you’re familiar with the New Jersey Turnpike. -Ed]

Here’s one last reason the X2 M beats the M2 Coupe for enthusiasts who drive long distances solo: The X2 M is a mini-motor home. Very mini. Limited amenities. But on long trips, a driver can pull into a safe rest area, drop down one of the two rear seatbacks, roll out a padded mat, and snooze for a couple of hours or overnight with feet in the cargo bed, head on the seatback. (Drivers under six feet will fit with their knees bent slightly.) The cargo cover and tinted side windows provide a measure of privacy. I’ve slept out a torrential rainstorm in the California desert (on high ground) in an Audi TT’s boot (also with folding rear seatbacks) and the Bimmer is spacious by contrast. The X2 M is quick enough, spacious enough, and versatile enough to be the new tii. That’s our take.

The must-have Magma Red leather upholstery, the same price as plain old black leather.

X2 Trim Lines

The BMW X1 and X2 are based on a front-drive platform shared with Mini. Factoid: BMW went forward with front-drive only after extensive consumer research and found potential customers already believed BMW was selling front-drive cars.

The X2 M35i, all-wheel-drive only, starts at $46,450 with freight; $8,100 more than the X2 xDrive28i (AWD), in turn $2,000 more than the X2 sDrive28i (front-drive). We’ll say no more about them.

On the X2 M35i, options include Premium Package (head-up display, navigation, heated front seats, $1,400); metallic paint, $595; 20-inch wheels with 245/40R20 performance run-flat tires, $600; leather upholstery, $1,450 plus a mandtory $500 for M sport seats; adaptive cruise control, $950; moonroof, $1,350; Qi wireless charging and Wi-Fi hotspot ($500; telematics and a cellular modem are standard); very good Harman Kardon audio, $875; dynamic damper control, $500; and roof rails, $250. With every options box checked, the price is $55,965.

There are configuration quirks. BMW’s build-your-own site indicates you can get heated seats and heated steering wheel but then you can’t have adaptive cruise control. You can, however, have ACC and heated seats, albeit with no heated steering wheel. If you want the auto-adjusting shocks, you must take the 19-inch wheels with 245/45/R19 all-season tires, probably the better choice for most drivers. You could do this and come out ahead: Get the X2 M with DDC and 19-inch wheels. Order a set of 20-inch alloys (BMW’s or a reputable third-party maker) and the same Pirelli P-Zero summer tires for $3,500-$4,000. Yes, they’re expensive. Sell your essentially new 19-inch wheels and tires to someone who destroyed theirs on a pothole or curb, for $1,000 to $1,250 apiece.

If you have 20-inch wheels and summer performance tires, you’ll need to add a set of winter tires and wheels, $1,600-$2,500, if you live where it gets below 40 degrees. Even if it doesn’t snow, the car loses grip.

Should You Buy?

Nobody needs this vehicle except maybe to cope with a change-of-life crisis (hitting 30, 40, or 50; getting divorced; or laid off with a fabulous buyout package). Or to have fun. It is an absolute hoot to drive. It has enough room for most drivers and passengers. The shape is the best-looking of BMW’s coupe-styled SUVs and doesn’t have the odd-to-some fastback roofline of the X4 and X6.

The X1 carries more cargo, the X3 a lot more. If you’re looking at a non-M X2, maybe you want the X1. Both X1 and X2 come in front- and all-wheel-drive versions but there is no X1 M version. The compact BMW X3 is 13 inches longer (186 inches) and $5,500 more. It’s a toss-up whether the X3 or X5 is BMW’s best SUV. Families of four, or couples who carry lots of gear but don’t want a big vehicle, will find the X3 better suited to their needs. There are M versions of the X3: $71,000 for the X3 M, $78,000 for the X3 M Competition, rated at 4.0 seconds 0-60 mph. Sooner or later, you’re talking serious money.

There is some competition: the Mercedes-Benz GLA, the Volvo XC40, the larger and costlier Porsche Macaan, and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Add the Lexus UX and borderline subcompact/compact Cadillac XT4, if ultimate handling matters less than cabin comfort.

Now read:

2019 Volvo XC40 Review: Standout Subcompact Crossover, Heavy on Safety

2019 Cadillac XT4 Review: Nice Ride. How Come More Safety Isn’t Standard?

2019 BMW X7 Review: The Best Big SUV Yet

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/300597-bmw-m2-x35i-suv-review-2002-tii-reimagined-for-modern-times from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/10/bmw-m2-x35i-suv-review-2002-tii.html

[eddiejpoplar]

SPIED: 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has fun sliding in snow

There’s been tons of hubbub about the upcoming BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe and the fact that it’s going to be based on BMW’s front-wheel drive architecture. That switch to front-wheel drive has a lot of fans upset. While it’s not the first Bimmer to make the jump, it is the first one that’s supposed to be an enthusiast’s car and not just a crossover or family car. So there are a lot of BMW fans that are a bit apprehensive about the upcoming 2er Gran Coupe and it’s ability to have fun. Maybe this video can change their minds, though.

In this spy video from Motor1, we can see a BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doing some winter testing in the snow. On this snow course, the 2 Series Gran Coupe, along with its driver, seems to be having some fun in the snow, getting very sideways. So if you’re worried about its ability to play, this video my put those worries to rest. Admittedly, any car can slide in the snow but it’s the 2 Series’ ability to hold the slide that seems impressive. For a front-wheel drive-based car, it seems very controllable while sliding about and also surprisingly tail-happy.

2 Series Gran Coupe

While we can’t tell for sure, because this car is heavily wrapped in camouflage, it seems to be a BMW M235i Gran Coupe, the upcoming M Performance variant. It seems that way based on its wheels — which are large and look similar to those found on the M4 Competition Package — its lower ride height and dual exhaust. That would make it all-wheel drive and not just front-wheel drive, which could help it slide a bit, while also making it fast and more exciting. Though, much like the BMW X2 M35i, never will more than 50-percent of the power be available to the rear axle.

It also looks pretty good. It’s relatively low and sleek and has nice proportions for a small, front-wheel drive car. Under the hood, if this is indeed the M235i version, there should be the same 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder as in the X2 M35i. That would give it 302 hp, which is more than enough to have fun in this little car. As evidenced by this video.

The article SPIED: 2020 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe has fun sliding in snow appeared first on BMW BLOG

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[deonheim30]

2018 U.S. Market’s Greenest Year Ever..Automotive News TV/CAR NEWS / Auto News

it’s Tuesday thanks for joining us I’m Jennifer Fong coming up Lincoln’s leadgenerating location but first your morning headlines the united states automarket will be greener than ever next year according to a new forecastanalysts at Edmonds say electric plugin and traditional hybrid vehicles willaccount for 4. 4 percent of the market in 2018 compared with an estimated 3. 2percent this year the firm also predicting that plug-in hybrid saleswill double in 2018 and that plugins will outsell traditional hybrids by theend of next year Jessica Caldwell admins executivedirector of Industry Analysis says even if Tesla fails to meet full productioncommitments for the model 3 until mid summer 2018 still will be a hallmarkyear Col ball adding quote their price of batteries is coming down evey rangeis rising and shoppers will have more choices than everEdmonds predicts total US sales of sixteen point eight million new vehiclesin 2018 down from an expected seventeen pointtwo million in 2017 BMW transforming its iconic four-cylinder headquarters towerin Munich Monday to resemble for upright batteries the project done incollaboration with a local cultural organization it coincided with BMWsannouncement that it had reached a target of selling 100,000 electrifiedcars around the world this year that’s up more than 60 percent from 62,000 lastyear sales benefiting from stronger demand in Western Europe and the US formodels such as the i3 and the 2 Series plug-in hybrid active tourer one otherBMW note the automaker says the production version of the all-new x2will make its world debut and next month’s Detroit Auto ShowBMW showed the coup like crossover in concept form at lastyear’s show also hitting the Detroit stage will be the 2019 I eight coupe thehybrid is slated for sale in the spring along with the x2 and the i8 roadster BMdel be revealed last month in Los AngelesSubaru vowing today to improve oversight of its final vehicle inspections thisafter revealing that uncertified staff had carried out tests of new cars forthe domestic market for decades that disclosure led to the recall of threehundred ninety five thousand vehicles in its latest report to the governmentpresented today Subaru says it will improve training and monitoring andcommunicate the importance of compliance to staff it says management and staffdid not fully appreciate the importance of the final inspection in legal newslawyers for General Motors urging a federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan tothrow out a settlement it reached in August the settlement would require thecompany to pay a billion dollars to car owners suing over faulty ignitionswitches and Hyundai says it’s labor union in South Korea has agreed to atentative wage deal Lincoln is in the process of rebuilding as it aims totriple its annual sales to three hundred thousand vehicles globally by 2020 partof its plan to reach that goal opening retail centers that don’t sellanything and putting them in areas where people are not aware of the brandour reporter Mike Martinez recently visited one of those spaces in FashionIsland a high-end outdoor mall in Newport Beach California the winkinexperience center has room for three vehicles and allows visitors to schedulea test drive configure a virtual car or order an espresso this space is a fewdoors down from a Tesla gallery and a short drive from a big BMW store and alarge mercedes-benz dealership however Lincoln officials tell Martinezthat’s the perfect location to court new customers officials saying 60% ofvisitors are not familiar with the brand at all but that often changes once theyspend some time there in fact the center has helped deliver about 700 leads toLincoln dealerships so far this past spring Lincoln opened its secondExperience Center in Frisco Texas Ford’s luxury brand plans to add morespaces in the future but no word on where through November Lincoln’s USsales are up about 2% to roughly one hundred thousand vehiclesand that wraps up at this edition our first shift we’ll see you back heretomorrow morning

//<![CDATA[ featureBoxVar = ""; //]]> source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/08/03/2018-u-s-markets-greenest-year-ever-automotive-news-tv-car-news-auto-news/ from Auto Dealing Services http://cardetailingphx.blogspot.com/2018/08/2018-us-markets-greenest-year.html

[jesusvasser]

Wheelspinning Our Way Through 2017

If 2017 was the year of President Trump everywhere else, in the automotive world, it seemed to be the year of Elon Musk. Again. Musk’s Tesla began 2017 with some 440,000 intenders each holding $1,000 deposit receipts for a new $35,000+ Model 3 with hopes they would start to get their cars by midyear.

Tesla ended 2017 with Musk now building anticipation for a new semi truck, apparently named “Semi,” which he says will have a 500-mile range and will begin deliveries in 2019, with a new Roadster model—actually a 2+2 targa grand touring car capable of 250 mph+ and 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds—arriving at dealers a year later.

Musk said Tesla delivered just 233 Model 3s by the end of the third quarter. When I asked Tesla public relations for an update on deliveries through, at least, mid-December, the response was to refer to Musk’s third-quarter analysts’ call held November 1. Tesla PR said the number of deliveries will be updated in the first quarter 2018 analysts’ call. So it goes.

In reality, 2017 was the year that traditional automakers ramped up their counter-assault on Tesla’s electric vehicles, with plans for everything from fuel cells and solid-state batteries to new ways to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more efficient. Here’s how I saw the year in automobiles …

Fords with a future: CEO Mark Fields announces a $700-million investment in its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build a hybrid Mustang, a 300-plus mile EV SUV by 2020, and a hybrid-powered fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. Ford also will build hybrid versions of its F-150 pickup, and its Explorer-based Interceptor Police Utility vehicle and Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan. At the same time, Fields attempts to assuage President-elect Trump’s anti-North American Free Trade Agreement position by cancelling plans for a new Mexican assembly plant.

Mary Barra adds “chairman” to her title: General Motors’ board elects its first female CEO to become its first female chairman, as well. Through much of its 109-year history, GM has assigned those titles to separate executives.

U.S. auto sales hits another record: Automakers report January 5 that they sold 17.54 million cars and light trucks in 2016, topping 2015, the previous record year, by 56,211 units. While car sales clearly have peaked, we’ll finish off calendar year ’17 at a still-healthy 17.1 million, according to AutoTrader’s mid-December estimate.

North American International Auto Show highlights: The 2017 Detroit Auto Show featured the new Kia Stinger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Toyota Camry, Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (the next Altima), Honda Odyssey, Infiniti QX50 concept, Chevrolet Traverse, Lexus LS, and Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept (a modern EV Microbus). Sergio Marchionne reveals in his annual Detroit show press conference that the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will share the new longitudinal engine platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Ford shows nothing of significance.

EPA says Fiat Chrysler’s diesel Jeeps and Rams violate the Clean Air Act with defeat devices: Just prior to President Trump taking office, the Environmental Protection Agency announces it’s investigating Fiat Chrysler for alleged fuel economy/emissions test cheating devices on its Jeep and Ram EcoDiesel engines. Fiat Chrysler in May announces it has a software fix to solve the problem.

GM and Honda announce a fuel cell deal: In late January, General Motors and Honda announce a joint venture to design and develop a next-generation, compact fuel cell stack. They plan to build these fuel cell stacks together at a GM plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan, that assembles battery packs for the Chevrolet Bolt and Volt by 2021.

Geneva International Motor Show Highlights: The new McLaren 720S was the show’s runaway hit, though Robert Cumberford also singles out the Fittipaldi EF7 by Pininfarina. Automobile staff also like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Concept GT, Volkswagen Arteon, Range Rover Velar, Alpine A110, Volvo XC60, and Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e.

GM sells Opel/Vauxhall to PSA Peugeot Citroen for $2.3 billion: The world’s third-largest automaker runs from one of the world’s largest markets¬—the European Union, collectively, is about as large as the U.S. market in millions of annual sales. It’s also a very tough market, with strict regulations, loose enforcement (see, German-brand diesels), and relatively strong unions that make it hard to move assembly plants to former Soviet satellite countries with lower labor costs. In the end, though, it may have been Brexit that pushed the sale over the line. GM’s Vauxhall was stronger in the United Kingdom than was Opel on the Continent.

Trump rescinds the Obama administration 2025 CAFE standard: Automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S. were required to reach a 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard under an agreement reached with the Obama administration in 2010, shortly after the GM and Chrysler loan guarantee bailouts. But the standard always was subject to a “mid-term review” that could pull back the standards. The new Trump administration jumps ahead of that review with an executive order. For automakers, it will offer relief from having to reach the 54.5-mpg CAFE number. However, automakers already were well on their way in engineering new powertrains and lighter, more aerodynamic (and CAFE standard “footprint” measurements) bodies. We’re not likely to see much pullback from those plans, so most automakers will probably be close to meeting the ’25 standard, if a few years late, anyway. What’s more, Trump’s executive order does nothing to the California Mandate requiring a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles sold there and in 16 other, mostly coastal states. The California Zero Emissions Mandate already is responsible for cars like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s relative success.

Trump wants to tear up NAFTA and place a tariff on Mexican-built autos: After the U.S. auto sales peaks of 2015 and 2016, there’s no shortage of auto manufacturing capacity. As I reported in late March, Trump’s plan to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement would not push automakers to build new, $1-billion+ factories in the United States (although Volvo, for one, already plans its first assembly plant here). The president specifically attacks Ford for moving Focus production from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, though it’s adding more profitable Ranger pickup and Bronco sport/utility production in its place in Michigan. Ford has since rescinded its plans for a new Mexican plant, and instead will move Focus production to China. President Trump has yet to act on rescinding U.S. participation in NAFTA.

Tesla’s market cap exceeds GM’s and Ford’s: Tesla’s market capitalization first passes Ford Motor Company’s, then in April, General Motors’. Tesla stock has since settled into the low $300s-per-share range, while GM stock has rallied to top the disruptive EV automaker’s cap, again. As of December 21, Tesla was worth about $55.1 billion to GM’s $60.1 billion. Wall Street bulls have defended Tesla’s stock value as a sign of an all-electric future. Tesla will be well positioned to lead that future, the bulls say, though as it continues to lose money and have problems getting Model 3 production up to speed, more and more bears are popping up in the analysts’ community.

Tesla loses $397 million in the first quarter: The losses are worse than analysts’ expectations, but by early June, stock values start to rise again.

Ford fires Fields: Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields, a corporate veteran credited for turning around Mazda (which Ford formerly controlled) in the late 1990s, is fired allegedly for lagging on electric car development. The real reason is Ford’s lagging stock value, a bigger concern for William Clay Ford and his relatives, who control the company with 40 percent of its stock. Fields’ replacement is Jim Hackett, hired away from the office furniture company, Steelcase.

GM shareholders reject a dual-class stock proposal: Greenlight Capital wants to split GM stock into two classes [not unlike Ford’s Class B stock] in order to cash in some value out of the automaker. To those of us far from Wall Street it seems the sort of action that would put GM in the same position it was in 12 years ago, when an economic downturn or a change in automotive tastes due to something like a spike in oil prices could lead to serious cash shortage. At GM’s annual meeting in June, shareholders roundly reject Greenlight’s proposal.

BMW 2 Series to lose manual option?: In June, a BMW executive in Germany was quoted indicating that the company would stop importing manual transmission 2 Series models to the U.S. The uproar that caused in the purist-enthusiasts’ community resulted in a clarification. If BMW stops selling stick shift 2 Series models here, it won’t be until the car’s next generation, expected to be the 2020 model year (now less than two years away). Automobile magazine’s Four Seasons ‘17 M2 came with just one option; the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, because, BMW said, customer demand for the manual created a shortage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 2 Series came only with a DCT, which is handy for Level III or IV autonomous features. And the upcoming X2 “sport/activity vehicle” almost certainly will not be offered with a three-pedal layout.

Volvo goes all-electrified by 2019: The misleading headline at Volvo’s own website reads, “Volvo goes all-electric,” but the copy underneath says that by ’19, all Volvos will have an electric motor. While the hyperbole led The Cult of Elon to believe they had won their revolution, at Volvo, this entails everything from pure battery-EV to plug-in hybrid to 48-volt. For sure, the 48-volt revolution is coming, with that technology aiding stop/start systems and in some cases limited EV driving while accommodating the expansion of elaborate infotainment systems. In any event, Volvo’s announcement spurred similar claims later in the year from rival premium automakers.

Nissan launches ProPilot Assist in its all-new, 2018 Leaf: The automated cruise control will start and stop in rush hour traffic, but you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel, which gently helps you around curves. The new Nissan Leaf’s range is now 150 miles on a full charge, still 78 miles short of the Chevy Bolt’s stated range.

Cadillac launches Super Cruise: Is Cadillac in the autonomy lead? Yes, I think it is, even if Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have slightly more capable systems in the works. As part of Super Cruise’s safety redundancy, GM mapped 180,000 miles of U.S. roads. You must take the wheel of the Cadillac CT6 to change lanes, but otherwise it’s even easier than two-fingertip steering on long, boring Interstates.

Toyota and Mazda announce joint-venture U.S. assembly plant: Likely to be built somewhere in the UAW-bereft Southeast, the joint venture also will help struggling Mazda get into electrified powertrains. Let’s hope it leads to a future for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota 86, as their Fiat and Subaru deals are not likely to have sequels.

Mazda announces Skyactive X engine technology: Mazda will equip its next 3, coming in 2019, with a compression ignition gasoline powered engine said to nearly equal a similar-sized four-cylinder turbodiesel, and match it for CO2 emissions.

Fiat Chrysler ‘confirms’ it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors: The late-summer denial that a Chinese automaker was looking to buy Fiat Chrysler comes in the middle of a year in which CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty transparent about his desire to find a dance partner. In my Motor City Blogman column, I note that Jeep and Ram are the two brands that would attract such a partner, and that if Marchionne expected value to be paid for the rest of the brands, the company might have to go it alone for a while longer.

IAA Frankfurt motor show highlights: The Honda Urban EV concept, Mercedes-AMG Project One, a roadgoing F1 car driven onto the stage by Lewis Hamilton (who would soon win his fourth World Driver’s Championship), Renault Symbioz concept, a modern rolling living room, Ferrari Portofino, Hyundai Kona, Kia Proceed concept, and according to Robert Cumberford, the new Borgward Isabella and something called the Aspark Owl.

Delphi splits in two: We don’t often cover Tier One suppliers, but it’s worth noting that this former GM parts division this year split into two companies. Delphi Technology continues to work on updating and improving powertrains, mostly the internal combustion engine, while Aptiv covers autonomy and connectivity. While I often write about automakers’ latest autonomous technology breakthroughs, much of the advances are coming from companies like Aptiv, Continental, Bosch, etc.

GM will launch ‘at least’ 20 new battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2023: While no one has figured out how to make money on BEVs or fuel cells yet, this announcement spurs on GM’s already soaring share prices. The first two new EVs will arrive by mid-2019 and will be based on the current Chevy Bolt, while the new models after that will be off a new electric/fuel cell platform, including what looks to be the C8 Corvette E-ray.

Tokyo Motor Show highlights: The Honda EV Coupe concept, Mazda Vision Coupe concept, Mazda Kai concept (next Mazda3), Subaru Viviz Performance concept (next WRX/STI), Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, and the Toyota TJ Cruiser. In time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota also displays a new Century limousine and a Tokyo cab, replacing models first designed for the 1964 Olympics that raised the city out of its postwar doldrums.

Tesla loses record $619 million in the third quarter: The cost of developing the much-awaited Tesla Model 3 and its production facility no doubt contributed to all this red ink. CEO Elon Musk says Tesla delivered just 233 of its mass-market EVs as of the end of the quarter, and says ramp-up of production to 5,000 per month now is delayed to the end of the first quarter of 2018—originally, this was the goal for the end of the year.

Peugeot-Citroen launches car-sharing service ahead of return to the U.S.: Free2Move is launched as an aggregation app for Car2Go and Zipcar in Seattle. The app will help PSA relearn the U.S. market ahead of its planned return selling cars here, says North American chief Larry Dominique. PSA will sell one of it from Performance Junk WP Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2BXQdmE via IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

Wheelspinning Our Way Through 2017

If 2017 was the year of President Trump everywhere else, in the automotive world, it seemed to be the year of Elon Musk. Again. Musk’s Tesla began 2017 with some 440,000 intenders each holding $1,000 deposit receipts for a new $35,000+ Model 3 with hopes they would start to get their cars by midyear.

Tesla ended 2017 with Musk now building anticipation for a new semi truck, apparently named “Semi,” which he says will have a 500-mile range and will begin deliveries in 2019, with a new Roadster model—actually a 2+2 targa grand touring car capable of 250 mph+ and 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds—arriving at dealers a year later.

Musk said Tesla delivered just 233 Model 3s by the end of the third quarter. When I asked Tesla public relations for an update on deliveries through, at least, mid-December, the response was to refer to Musk’s third-quarter analysts’ call held November 1. Tesla PR said the number of deliveries will be updated in the first quarter 2018 analysts’ call. So it goes.

In reality, 2017 was the year that traditional automakers ramped up their counter-assault on Tesla’s electric vehicles, with plans for everything from fuel cells and solid-state batteries to new ways to make the internal combustion engine cleaner and more efficient. Here’s how I saw the year in automobiles …

Fords with a future: CEO Mark Fields announces a $700-million investment in its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant to build a hybrid Mustang, a 300-plus mile EV SUV by 2020, and a hybrid-powered fully autonomous vehicle by 2021. Ford also will build hybrid versions of its F-150 pickup, and its Explorer-based Interceptor Police Utility vehicle and Taurus-based Police Interceptor sedan. At the same time, Fields attempts to assuage President-elect Trump’s anti-North American Free Trade Agreement position by cancelling plans for a new Mexican assembly plant.

Mary Barra adds “chairman” to her title: General Motors’ board elects its first female CEO to become its first female chairman, as well. Through much of its 109-year history, GM has assigned those titles to separate executives.

U.S. auto sales hits another record: Automakers report January 5 that they sold 17.54 million cars and light trucks in 2016, topping 2015, the previous record year, by 56,211 units. While car sales clearly have peaked, we’ll finish off calendar year ’17 at a still-healthy 17.1 million, according to AutoTrader’s mid-December estimate.

North American International Auto Show highlights: The 2017 Detroit Auto Show featured the new Kia Stinger, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Toyota Camry, Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (the next Altima), Honda Odyssey, Infiniti QX50 concept, Chevrolet Traverse, Lexus LS, and Volkswagen I.D. Buzz concept (a modern EV Microbus). Sergio Marchionne reveals in his annual Detroit show press conference that the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will share the new longitudinal engine platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Ford shows nothing of significance.

EPA says Fiat Chrysler’s diesel Jeeps and Rams violate the Clean Air Act with defeat devices: Just prior to President Trump taking office, the Environmental Protection Agency announces it’s investigating Fiat Chrysler for alleged fuel economy/emissions test cheating devices on its Jeep and Ram EcoDiesel engines. Fiat Chrysler in May announces it has a software fix to solve the problem.

GM and Honda announce a fuel cell deal: In late January, General Motors and Honda announce a joint venture to design and develop a next-generation, compact fuel cell stack. They plan to build these fuel cell stacks together at a GM plant in Brownstown Township, Michigan, that assembles battery packs for the Chevrolet Bolt and Volt by 2021.

Geneva International Motor Show Highlights: The new McLaren 720S was the show’s runaway hit, though Robert Cumberford also singles out the Fittipaldi EF7 by Pininfarina. Automobile staff also like the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Mercedes-AMG Concept GT, Volkswagen Arteon, Range Rover Velar, Alpine A110, Volvo XC60, and Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e.

GM sells Opel/Vauxhall to PSA Peugeot Citroen for $2.3 billion: The world’s third-largest automaker runs from one of the world’s largest markets¬—the European Union, collectively, is about as large as the U.S. market in millions of annual sales. It’s also a very tough market, with strict regulations, loose enforcement (see, German-brand diesels), and relatively strong unions that make it hard to move assembly plants to former Soviet satellite countries with lower labor costs. In the end, though, it may have been Brexit that pushed the sale over the line. GM’s Vauxhall was stronger in the United Kingdom than was Opel on the Continent.

Trump rescinds the Obama administration 2025 CAFE standard: Automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S. were required to reach a 54.5-mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard under an agreement reached with the Obama administration in 2010, shortly after the GM and Chrysler loan guarantee bailouts. But the standard always was subject to a “mid-term review” that could pull back the standards. The new Trump administration jumps ahead of that review with an executive order. For automakers, it will offer relief from having to reach the 54.5-mpg CAFE number. However, automakers already were well on their way in engineering new powertrains and lighter, more aerodynamic (and CAFE standard “footprint” measurements) bodies. We’re not likely to see much pullback from those plans, so most automakers will probably be close to meeting the ’25 standard, if a few years late, anyway. What’s more, Trump’s executive order does nothing to the California Mandate requiring a certain percentage of zero-emissions vehicles sold there and in 16 other, mostly coastal states. The California Zero Emissions Mandate already is responsible for cars like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf, as well as Tesla’s relative success.

Trump wants to tear up NAFTA and place a tariff on Mexican-built autos: After the U.S. auto sales peaks of 2015 and 2016, there’s no shortage of auto manufacturing capacity. As I reported in late March, Trump’s plan to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement would not push automakers to build new, $1-billion+ factories in the United States (although Volvo, for one, already plans its first assembly plant here). The president specifically attacks Ford for moving Focus production from Michigan to Mexico in 2018, though it’s adding more profitable Ranger pickup and Bronco sport/utility production in its place in Michigan. Ford has since rescinded its plans for a new Mexican plant, and instead will move Focus production to China. President Trump has yet to act on rescinding U.S. participation in NAFTA.

Tesla’s market cap exceeds GM’s and Ford’s: Tesla’s market capitalization first passes Ford Motor Company’s, then in April, General Motors’. Tesla stock has since settled into the low $300s-per-share range, while GM stock has rallied to top the disruptive EV automaker’s cap, again. As of December 21, Tesla was worth about $55.1 billion to GM’s $60.1 billion. Wall Street bulls have defended Tesla’s stock value as a sign of an all-electric future. Tesla will be well positioned to lead that future, the bulls say, though as it continues to lose money and have problems getting Model 3 production up to speed, more and more bears are popping up in the analysts’ community.

Tesla loses $397 million in the first quarter: The losses are worse than analysts’ expectations, but by early June, stock values start to rise again.

Ford fires Fields: Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields, a corporate veteran credited for turning around Mazda (which Ford formerly controlled) in the late 1990s, is fired allegedly for lagging on electric car development. The real reason is Ford’s lagging stock value, a bigger concern for William Clay Ford and his relatives, who control the company with 40 percent of its stock. Fields’ replacement is Jim Hackett, hired away from the office furniture company, Steelcase.

GM shareholders reject a dual-class stock proposal: Greenlight Capital wants to split GM stock into two classes [not unlike Ford’s Class B stock] in order to cash in some value out of the automaker. To those of us far from Wall Street it seems the sort of action that would put GM in the same position it was in 12 years ago, when an economic downturn or a change in automotive tastes due to something like a spike in oil prices could lead to serious cash shortage. At GM’s annual meeting in June, shareholders roundly reject Greenlight’s proposal.

BMW 2 Series to lose manual option?: In June, a BMW executive in Germany was quoted indicating that the company would stop importing manual transmission 2 Series models to the U.S. The uproar that caused in the purist-enthusiasts’ community resulted in a clarification. If BMW stops selling stick shift 2 Series models here, it won’t be until the car’s next generation, expected to be the 2020 model year (now less than two years away). Automobile magazine’s Four Seasons ‘17 M2 came with just one option; the dual-clutch seven-speed automatic, because, BMW said, customer demand for the manual created a shortage. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next 2 Series came only with a DCT, which is handy for Level III or IV autonomous features. And the upcoming X2 “sport/activity vehicle” almost certainly will not be offered with a three-pedal layout.

Volvo goes all-electrified by 2019: The misleading headline at Volvo’s own website reads, “Volvo goes all-electric,” but the copy underneath says that by ’19, all Volvos will have an electric motor. While the hyperbole led The Cult of Elon to believe they had won their revolution, at Volvo, this entails everything from pure battery-EV to plug-in hybrid to 48-volt. For sure, the 48-volt revolution is coming, with that technology aiding stop/start systems and in some cases limited EV driving while accommodating the expansion of elaborate infotainment systems. In any event, Volvo’s announcement spurred similar claims later in the year from rival premium automakers.

Nissan launches ProPilot Assist in its all-new, 2018 Leaf: The automated cruise control will start and stop in rush hour traffic, but you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel, which gently helps you around curves. The new Nissan Leaf’s range is now 150 miles on a full charge, still 78 miles short of the Chevy Bolt’s stated range.

Cadillac launches Super Cruise: Is Cadillac in the autonomy lead? Yes, I think it is, even if Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have slightly more capable systems in the works. As part of Super Cruise’s safety redundancy, GM mapped 180,000 miles of U.S. roads. You must take the wheel of the Cadillac CT6 to change lanes, but otherwise it’s even easier than two-fingertip steering on long, boring Interstates.

Toyota and Mazda announce joint-venture U.S. assembly plant: Likely to be built somewhere in the UAW-bereft Southeast, the joint venture also will help struggling Mazda get into electrified powertrains. Let’s hope it leads to a future for the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota 86, as their Fiat and Subaru deals are not likely to have sequels.

Mazda announces Skyactive X engine technology: Mazda will equip its next 3, coming in 2019, with a compression ignition gasoline powered engine said to nearly equal a similar-sized four-cylinder turbodiesel, and match it for CO2 emissions.

Fiat Chrysler ‘confirms’ it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors: The late-summer denial that a Chinese automaker was looking to buy Fiat Chrysler comes in the middle of a year in which CEO Sergio Marchionne is pretty transparent about his desire to find a dance partner. In my Motor City Blogman column, I note that Jeep and Ram are the two brands that would attract such a partner, and that if Marchionne expected value to be paid for the rest of the brands, the company might have to go it alone for a while longer.

IAA Frankfurt motor show highlights: The Honda Urban EV concept, Mercedes-AMG Project One, a roadgoing F1 car driven onto the stage by Lewis Hamilton (who would soon win his fourth World Driver’s Championship), Renault Symbioz concept, a modern rolling living room, Ferrari Portofino, Hyundai Kona, Kia Proceed concept, and according to Robert Cumberford, the new Borgward Isabella and something called the Aspark Owl.

Delphi splits in two: We don’t often cover Tier One suppliers, but it’s worth noting that this former GM parts division this year split into two companies. Delphi Technology continues to work on updating and improving powertrains, mostly the internal combustion engine, while Aptiv covers autonomy and connectivity. While I often write about automakers’ latest autonomous technology breakthroughs, much of the advances are coming from companies like Aptiv, Continental, Bosch, etc.

GM will launch ‘at least’ 20 new battery-electric or fuel cell vehicles by 2023: While no one has figured out how to make money on BEVs or fuel cells yet, this announcement spurs on GM’s already soaring share prices. The first two new EVs will arrive by mid-2019 and will be based on the current Chevy Bolt, while the new models after that will be off a new electric/fuel cell platform, including what looks to be the C8 Corvette E-ray.

Tokyo Motor Show highlights: The Honda EV Coupe concept, Mazda Vision Coupe concept, Mazda Kai concept (next Mazda3), Subaru Viviz Performance concept (next WRX/STI), Daihatsu DN Compagno concept, and the Toyota TJ Cruiser. In time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota also displays a new Century limousine and a Tokyo cab, replacing models first designed for the 1964 Olympics that raised the city out of its postwar doldrums.

Tesla loses record $619 million in the third quarter: The cost of developing the much-awaited Tesla Model 3 and its production facility no doubt contributed to all this red ink. CEO Elon Musk says Tesla delivered just 233 of its mass-market EVs as of the end of the quarter, and says ramp-up of production to 5,000 per month now is delayed to the end of the first quarter of 2018—originally, this was the goal for the end of the year.

Peugeot-Citroen launches car-sharing service ahead of return to the U.S.: Free2Move is launched as an aggregation app for Car2Go and Zipcar in Seattle. The app will help PSA relearn the U.S. market ahead of its planned return selling cars here, says North American chief Larry Dominique. PSA will sell one of it from Performance Junk Blogger Feed 4 http://ift.tt/2BXQdmE via IFTTT