Tag Archives: BMW

BMW i3 electric concept, when BMW reinvents the body on frame

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

I like old cars. The way they’re built is different. They’re body on frame. It’s possible to unbolt the body, and the car remains drivable. All cars have monocoques now with one unit body, but BMW chose to do something … Continue reading →

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BMW E-Scooter, with a load-bearing battery case, the first modern electric motorbike

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

After the failure of Vectrix, the world is still waiting for a well-made electric motorbike that would also be a good performer on the road. The Chinese are working on the lower end of the market, BMW could very well … Continue reading →

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BMW 520d EfficientDynamics Edition, the 52 mpg non hybrid family sedan

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

Exactly 3 out of 4. 75% of all new cars registered in France last month were diesels. I know gas engines are getting better and better. Engines like the TSI from Volkswagen or the Ecoboost from Ford are great units, … Continue reading →

Posted in Clean diesel, CO2 emissions, Family cars, Fuel efficiency | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Twin Power Turbo from BMW comes without extra-charge

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

It’s not yet available in America, but the BMW X1 has been on sale for about a year in Europe, and it will the first BMW to receive the manufacturer’s latest engine: the Twin Power Turbo. This is a 2-liter … Continue reading →

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DriveNow, BMW and Sixt are entering car-sharing with big ambitions

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

Many people have yet to be convinced that car-sharing can be a viable business, but European car manufacturers are certainly not among those. Daimler was first when it launched the car2go scheme in Ulm (Austin, in Texas would follow) in … Continue reading →

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BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën will make hybrid cars together. That should be impossible!

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Laurent J. Masson

BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën have been partners for a few years, they share an engine which they developed together. It’s the 1.6-liter inline-four that goes into the Mini, and about all Peugeots from the 207 to the just introduced 508. … Continue reading →

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BMW had no choice: the plug-in hybrid Vision EfficientDynamics will be built

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

It happens sometimes. A manufacturer shows a concept at a motor show (left picture) and it just looks so good that all the people are asking for a production model. The Alfa Romeo Brera concept from Giugiaro started like that, … Continue reading →

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Unexpected: the return of the twin, a 2-cylinder BMW car

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

The car above is not very well known. It’s a BMW from the Sixties, its engine is a twin. I mean it has only 2 cylinders. Those were quite common in post-war Europe, and up to the Seventies, but all … Continue reading →

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BMW and PSA Peugeot-Citroën to share hybrid drivetrains

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

The German manufacturer has been working with the French car group PSA Peugeot-Citroën for many years. The car above is a Peugeot 3008, its gasoline engine is the same one you can find in a Mini. A turbocharged and direct-injected … Continue reading →

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Grandeur in downsizing, that’s BMW with its new K1600

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

We talk often about the new trend in engine design, I mean downsizing, or the replacement of a low-tech large displacement engine by a high tech small displacement one. Ford might be one of the most ardent supporter of this … Continue reading →

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