Electric MINI Cooper Spotted in Munich, Expected at 2008 LA Auto Show
[Via RegHardware]
Posts with tag bmw
[Via RegHardware]
Google-Enabled BMWs Coming to US Streets
All 2009 American BMW models, except for the lowly X3 mini-'Ute (which BMW doesn't bother manufacture itself), will get Google Maps integration, enabling the driver or passenger to search for businesses from the dash. Directions can be piped to the car's nav system and calls placed via in-car Bluetooth. At $199 per-year, it's not exactly a steal, but that does include standard BMW Assist functionality such as locating your car if it's stolen or dispatching an ambulance if you're in a horrible accident.
Yeah, we only care about the searching too.
Electric MINI Hits US Streets in Summer 2009
Not that electric MINIs are anything new, but unless you were willing to pay for all the mods yourself, procuring one wasn't exactly simple. Now, however, we're hearing that MINI itself will be bringing scads of these buggers to American streets in the summer of 2009. Yeah, like, one year from right now.
MINI USA VP Jim McDowell was the source of said statement (so it's pretty much official, yeah?), though he didn't mention whether all of them would be reserved for California or if they would be
BMW Museum's Kinetic Sculpture Soothes The Mind
Stereo Company Installs GPS, Causes $13K in Damage
After Brandon had taken his admittedly aging luxury sedan in for the install, he noticed that hot air was leaking in through his dashboard vents, even when the air conditioner was on. Several attempts were made by the shop to repair the problem, but no progress was made. In fact, it seemed that with every subsequent visit, Brandon found more and more wrong with the car. Brandon requested a refund, but upon noticing language that would relieve the Car Stereo Company of liability if the check were endorsed (sneaky bastards), decided not to cash the check just yet.
After consulting two different repair shops, a BMW specialist and a German car specialist, Brandon had an estimated $12,400 worth of repairs to be done.
Unfortunately, it appears as if there will be no happy ending to Brandon's troubles. First, Brandon tried to go through the shop's insurance company, to no avail. Then Brandon took them to small claims court, only to have the judge find in favor of the Car Stereo Company. Things don't look good, but we're still holding out hope that Brandon will find a favorable resolution to his problem. [Source: The Consumerist]
BMW Concept Car Has Skin, Skeleton, and Blinking Eyes
by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 10:12AM
This angry-looking skinned beast is the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model. GINA, which stands for Geometry and Functions in 'N' Adaptations -- whatever that means -- is shelled in a textile fabric wrapped around a carbon fiber and metal frame.
This means that the skin and skeleton can bend and contract like, well, real skin and skeleton. For instance, the doors bend up, the headlights are exposed like eyeballs under eyelids, and the hood opens from the center like some sort of gaping maw to expose the engine. Even the interior is skinned and modular: only the dash displays that you need at any item are available via openings.
Don't get too excited, though -- this is purely a concept and nothing you'll see in a showroom any time soon. We can dream, though, right? [Source: Autoblog]
BMW Introducing Updated, More Customizable iDrive System
It looks like BMW's sometimes derided iDrive system is about to get another boost in features / complexity, with the automaker now apparently readying a whole slew of features that'll add even more customization options to cars using the system. That will apparently include everything from screen savers and sound effects to tweaks in transmission shift points and engine boost levels, which could be customized to either increase fuel economy or improve overall performance. What's more, those changes will apparently be able to be made from any internet-connected computer in addition to from inside the car itself, and you'll be able to save multiple profiles that'll be automatically activated whenever an individual's key fob is in close proximity. Be sure to hit up the read link below for the long list of new features. [Source: Bimmer File via Autoblog]
Giant Moscow Billboard Is Peppered with Real Cars
This isn't so much a technology story as a super-sized, impress you with the audacity story. A giant billboard in Moscow, stretching up and across approximately 1.5 ACRES (no, not a typo), features real BMWs affixed sideways to appear as though they are racing across the advertisement's expanse.
In the Western World, we know they do things big in Texas, but this enormous ad tops anything we've seen of this type.
Stuck to the side of the billboard are a BMW Z4 M Coupe, an M3, an M5, and an M6. The headlights are on, although no one is behind the wheel.
There have been some other creative billboards mounted highways and famous byways. Just take a gander at the bright and creative ads all over New York's Times Square or London's Piccadilly Circus.
From Autoblog. (Image from English Russia.)
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Mercedes Ties Google and Yahoo! Maps to In-Car Navigation
A GPS unit for your car is nothing new, but how about a GPS unit that connects to Google or Yahoo! Maps? Mercedes has just announced the launch of Search and Send, a system that allows you to send driving directions from a PC to your car using either Google Maps or Yahoo! Maps depending on personal preference. Friends and family can even be granted access to the system, allowing them to send you coordinates when you're already out on the road. Once in your Benzo, you download the directions directly to the in-car navigation system where you can either chart a route immediately or save the destination for a later trip.
The Search and Send service is free with a subscription to Mercedes Tele Aid, a roadside assistance system similar to GM's OnStar. The system is free for the first year with the purchase of select Mercedes cars. Initially it will only be available on the '07 S-Class, '07 CL-Class and '08 C-Class vehicles when outfitted with the Multimedia and Navigation package.
Though the Mercedes program is the first like it in the U.S., BMW offers German drivers a very similar experience with its Drive Assist program. Drive Assist, however, is limited only to business addresses, where Search and Send can plot any location.
From Engadget
[CORRECTION: It actually turns out that MapQuest and GM announced a similar service called OnStar Web Destination Entry in April which should come out sometime in 2008.]
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