BMW

Last summer BMW wowed us with the unveiling of its straight-out-of-the-future BMW Vision DC Roadster electric motorcycle concept.

At the time we all thought it was a pretty drawing, but not much more than that. As it turns out though, BMW might have real plans for a new DC line of electric motorcycles.

BMW announced today that it is going to shut down its Munich factory for over a month in order to prepare for the production of its next electric car, the BMW i4.
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The all-electric BMW iX3 SUV is not coming to the United States. But the company is still trumpeting the iX3 as the beginning of its major EV campaign – and the debut of a more capable EV drive system. The production of the version of the iX3 was unveiled today. If nothing else, it provides new images for the best glimpse yet of the model.

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BMW announced that it is going to unveil the production version of the iX3, a new electric SUV, on July 14.
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BMW is getting some internal pressure to build an electric-only platform and move away from the strategy to build cars with several different powertrain options on the same platform.
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BMW, the owner of the Mini brand, understands the vital importance of the Chinese auto market. And the Chinese government has aggressive goals for electric vehicles. So it’s not surprising that Mini will use a Chinese joint venture to produce two new SUVs: one all-electric and another powered by internal combustion.

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BMW is beginning pre-production of the iX3 electric SUV, its first next-generation EV, and sharing the first few first official pictures of the production version.
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The UK’s Car magazine reports today that BMW will introduce a pure EV version of its M5 midsize performance vehicle. If the published specs are real, then BMW will offer a 1,006-horsepower beast of a midsize electric sedan with the next generation of the car.

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The pandemic won’t stop BMW from starting production of the all-electric iX3 in China this summer. The iX3 is not coming to the US. But BMW’s approach to the SUV’s electric powertrain reveals a lot about its conservative approach to the company’s new EVs that will eventually arrive on our shores.

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Alleged pictures of the production version of the BMW iX3 electric SUV have leaked ahead of the start of production.
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Germany reopened car dealerships today, but it could be a struggle to convince consumers to buy a new car. So the country’s top auto executives and politicians are calling for an eco-scrappage plan to spur sales of EVs and other efficient vehicles. Auto executives, government officials, labor, and environmentalists all agree on the need for the program.

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BMW says that its electrification strategy is all about giving consumers the choice of a pure EV or plug-in hybrid. That should put pressure on BMW to push the envelope on all-electric range and overall fuel-efficiency of its plug-in hybrids. But that’s not the case.

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BMW’s majority-owned Chinese company, BMW-Brilliance, began construction this week of a 3.2-square-kilometer plant. The expanded facility will help BMW produce 150,000 EVs a year in China. The list of models includes all-electric versions of the 3-Series and 5-Series sedans, as well as the X1 crossover and another SUV EV.

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Mercedes-Benz and BMW are adding a wide range of new plug-in hybrids as they strive to reduce CO2 emissions to meet stricter EU targets this year. Both companies said putting plug-in hybrids versions on more models would help reduce carbon emissions this year by 20%.

LMC Automotive, an analyst firm, predicts that plug-in hybrids will outsell EVs in Europe this year.

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The upcoming next-generation BMW 7 Series will be available with an all-electric powertrain and the top, most powerful version of the car will be all-electric, says BMW chief Oliver Zipse.
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BMW on Thursday reported a 29% drop in profits in 2019. The company blamed the dip on high investments in new electrified technologies — and hefty legal costs from a pollution-related antitrust case in the European Union.

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BMW i8, the best-selling plug-in hybrid sports car, is going to see the end of its production run next month after about 20,000 units produced.
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News emerged only yesterday that BMW had canceled plans to launch the BMW iX3 in the United States. But Automotive News reported that BMW had already decided to kill US sales of the iX3 in January at dealers meeting in Boca Raton, if not earlier. BMW executives and dealers deemed the all-electric iX3 as a dud before it reached our shores.

Why? Its 74-kilowatt-hour battery pack is considered by Americans to be too small.

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BMW has canceled its plan to launch the BMW iX3, its first electric vehicle in years, in the US – following several other automakers focusing their EV supply in other markets.
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BMW has unveiled the i4, its latest electric car, at a presentation that was planned for the Geneva Motor Show. The new prototype of this stunning Gran Coupe is still only a concept, but BMW has confirmed plans to bring a production version to market next year.
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Geneva Motor Show decided to cancel this year’s event because of the coronavirus, but we are still going to see a few of the electric cars that were going to be unveiled at the show.
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