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E89 BMW Z4 M scrapped – no business case!

March 21, 2009 at 5:21 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, International News

BMW Z4

BMW has axed the BMW Z4 M because according to them, there is no business case in such a product in this time and age, thanks to the economic downturn and the lack of interest in such a model.

Yes, yes, I know, no business case for the Z4 M but no problem for the X5 M and the X6 M, hardcore versions of now-frowned-upon SUVs? Well, think of it this way, with some of the rich losing alot of their investment values in the crash, most can no longer afford a big SUV for the weekdays and a sports car for the weekends. They will have to buy a 2 in 1 vehicle, something that serves both functions. Oh my, how tragic!!!

The reality is that these products begin development long before we even hear of them and the X5 M and the X6 M had been signed off long before all of this mess happened, which is why BMW is going ahead with them anyway.

The top of the line Z4 is going to be a M-Sport Z4 which has yet to be revealed, and will get the usual wheels, bodykit, suspension, steering and etc. It may even get BMW Performance parts thrown into the mix, either as standard or as an option. The flagship Z4 is the xDrive35i and BMW Performance could make available a BMW Performance Power Kit for the Z4, similiar to the kit they did for the same twin turbo engine in the 335i and the 135i. It upgrades the engine’s power from 306hp and 400Nm up to 326hp and 450Nm, equalling the tuning found in the BMW 740i. As it is, that’s more torque than the new M3 by a good 50Nm, and spread wide across the RPM range too.

Coupled with the recent announcement that the next gen M3 and M5 will go small-engine with twin-turbo power instead, it looks like the delicious high-revving S65B40 4.0 litre V8 will not find its way into any other production BMW other than the M3 :(

As a tribute to the S65B40, there are 2 orgasmic sound files after the jump of the engine being worked hard on the dyno and on the track as well. Enjoy!
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New F1 points system to be deferred to 2010?

March 21, 2009 at 4:24 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Formula 1, Motorsports

Sepang International Circuit

Surprise, surprise, the flip flop disease has infected the FIA too. It announced that the new points system that bestows the driver championship to the driver with the most wins rather than points will likely be deferred to 2010.

However nothing is confirmed at this moment as the official statement had some “ifs” in it, and until those ifs are acknowledged by FIA and the announcement to revert to the previous points system in black and white, we’re still holding our breath!

This is the official statement: “On 17 March, the FIA World Motor Sport Council unanimously rejected FOTA’s proposed amendment to the points system for the Formula One Drivers’ Championship. The ‘winner takes all’ proposal made by the commercial rights holder (who had been told that the teams were in favour) was then approved. If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010.”

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) had earlier proposed that the points system be instead changed to a 12-9-7-5-4-3-2-1 points format from the existing 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. The FIA was insistent in a “winner takes it all” system.

This is probably not something that teams are used to – changes and uncertainty to the rules are still happening just one week before the first race weekend in Melbourne!

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BMW and Vogue team up for F01 BMW 7-Series

March 21, 2009 at 3:51 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Videos

F01 7-Series

Fashion is an unusual subject for this blog, but it does prop up sometimes whenever car manufacturers do things that fuse their cars with the subject matter. The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a yearly affair and I personally watched a BMW MINI fashion show at MINI Plant Oxford back in 2006.

After all, it is their target market, all these upper society fashionable people surely must get to their parties in stylish transport.

BMW collaborated with Vogue magazine to create a new special edition BMW 7-Series Individual. It was a project between BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk and Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani. They also held a Vogue & BMW New York Fashion Week party to commemorate the car. This happened in February this year. What a cheeky thing to do at an event officially sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, haha!

There is a short video after the jump – even if you are not interested in such a thing there is some nice footage of the F01 7-Series in question to admire.

BTW, the F01 is in Malaysia.
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Production BMW 5-Series GT previewed in video!

March 21, 2009 at 1:57 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Spyshots, Videos

BMW 5-Series GT

It started off as what seemed to be a fairly usual video that BMW would make about its concept cars. It revolves around an interview with the 5-Series GT’s project leader, Hans-Jurgen Branz. But there is something exciting about this latest video of the BMW 5-Series GT, previously known as the Progressive Activity Sedan.

Things start getting interesting beyond the 1 minute mark when a grey-coloured 5-Series GT appears. This one is missing some of the concept car’s details such as the chrome bits on the door handles and the funky door mirror mount. I believe this is the actual production version that is going to be released!

Watch the video with some screencaps after the jump. Unfortunately the video is in German only for the moment, so I have no clue what he’s talking!
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New footage of the 2010 BMW Z4 released!

March 21, 2009 at 11:55 am By Paul Tan Filed Under BMW, Cars, Videos

New BMW Z4

BMW has released some new footage of the new BMW Z4, adding to the 5 videos that were released during the E89 Z4′s launch. This new one features lots of engine and exhaust sound bytes, so look after the jump to watch the video. It’s the first video from the top, and I’ve also added all the previous videos for your enjoyment. You can also browse the related links to read more about the new Z4.

Related Videos:
2010 BMW Z4 Roadster Details and Photos
BMW Z4 wins a Red Dot award for 2009
Free BMW Z4 game for the iPhone/iPod Touch
Adrian van Hooydonk on the new E89 BMW Z4
E89 BMW Z4 Roadster Photo Gallery
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Mazda to debut the refreshed 2010 CX-7 and CX-9 models in New York

March 21, 2009 at 11:19 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, International News, Mazda

Japanese-based auto maker Mazda will attend next month’s New York Auto Show with the facelifted Mazda CX-7 and Mazda CX-9 models. The refreshed CX-7 has received a slightly updated exterior as well as a restyled interior. Most importantly, Mazda has added a new engine option, the naturally aspirated 2.5 litre DOHC 16-valve MZR four-cylinder, that is mated to a 5 speed automatic transmission, while the current 2.3 litre MZR with Direct Injection Spark Ignition will still be offered.

The seven-seater, three-row crossover Mazda CX-9 (RM 287,204.60 – 3.7L model related to the Lincoln MKX and Ford Edge) now also comes with an improved exterior and interior design, with added options and reinforced safety features. Unfortunately, that is all we know for now. More details will be revealed when both models hit the stands on April 10th. Continue reading to view an image gallery of the CX-7.

Frankly I think there is just too much focus placed on the bottom half of the front fascia and they’ve ruined a perfectly good-looking vehicle in the interests of keeping a family resemblance to the rest of the cars which feature the new smiley grilles.
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Alfa Romeo to unveil the MiTo Veloce Concept in Amsterdam

March 21, 2009 at 10:50 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Alfa Romeo, Cars, Concept Cars

The high performance Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA Concept was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show recently, and the Italian auto maker is not about to leave the gorgeous MiTo at that only. The auto maker has revealed that it will present another MiTo concept at the upcoming AutoRAI event which will take place in Amsterdam.

Called the Alfa Romeo MiTo Veloce Concept, it would be positioned between the standard MiTo and the high performance GTA version if it goes into production, and something tells me that it will. The MiTo Veloce Concept is expected to be powered by a tuned version of Alfa’s 1.4 litre turbocharged engine that would kick out 177HP.

The MiTo Veloce is expected to sprint to the 100 km/h point in about 7.5 seconds, and is expected to feature an up-rated suspension, as well as some slight modifications on the body work. The show will kick start on April 1st, so stay tuned as we will bring you more details.

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BMW reveals plans to build compact hybrid cars

March 21, 2009 at 10:28 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under BMW, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

BMW LogoBavarian auto maker BMW has revealed its plans to produce a compact or small sized hybrid vehicle via BMW’s Chairman Norbert Reithofer at BMW Group’s Annual Accounts Press Conference. This project, which is called the Megacity Vehicle project, is part of BMW’s Project-i.

According to the chairman, “This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high-efficiency combustion engine. Large-scale production could start in the first half of the next decade. With the Megacity Vehicle project, we are also pursuing a radical approach toward establishing a truly sustainable value chain-from development to production and sales.”

We not sure if there would be two types of vehicles (fully electric or with a high-efficient combustion engine), or the chairman is actually referring to one particular hybrid that would offer both. Reithofer also went to mention that this vehicle will not carry another badge, meaning it should be sold either as a MINI or a BMW.

The first vehicle which is part of the Project-i is the MINI E, that is currently performing customer testing via public leasing trials. Can recent reports regarding BMW’s plans to co-produce platforms for small sized vehicles with Fiat have anything to do with this?

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VIDEO: Kia Soul – a new way to roll!

March 21, 2009 at 8:57 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Kia, Koreans, Videos

Kia Soul Hamster

The Kia Soul is aimed squarely at this new segment which seems to be gaining alot of popularity now, I won’t say in terms of sales as I’m not quite sure myself, but the carmakers definitely seem to be interested in it. This segment is the new SUV of sorts, some kind of large C-segment hatchback that offers the practicality and driving position of an SUV but without most of the bad points. Kia’s new ad campaign for the Kia Soul involves hamsters. Lots of hamsters. You can see the glowing speakers that the Soul has in the video too. Watch the first in a series of hamsters with Soul after the jump.
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Interior images of the 2010 Kia Sorento

March 20, 2009 at 3:12 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Kia, Koreans

Thanks to Kia-World.net, we now have some interior images of upcoming 2010 Kia Sorento for your viewing pleasure. Via these images, we now know that the completely new interior layout features an instrument panel with 3 pods outlined with chrome accents and a more attractive looking steering wheel with audio controls. This is probably a model fitted with the new R engine turbodiesel, looking at the RPM redline.

There is also a coloured LCD display screen on the centre dash which is surrounded by audio controls and automatic climate controls at the bottom. There are also auxiliary and USB input jacks at the very bottom. Kia has also added a two-piece sun roof, for the front and rear passengers. Please click here to learn more about the 2010 Kia Sorento.

Continue reading to view more images of the interior.
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