Malibu Bungalow is an 1800 sq. ft., 1-acre property mildly remodeled from an original 1957 storybook ranch style space. Built by the original owner, this home offers many memories within the walls erected inside it, and has now been refreshed, by boutique design and architecture firm RA-DA, to build upon those memories for the new […]
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Over the last few years, BMW has not only continued to build performance cars, but also emphasized the need for higher fuel efficiency and reduced emissions in their cars. At the recent LA Auto Show, BMW has brought out their most comprehensive offering of hybrid vehicles, now sold under the i Performance sub-brand.
But according to Trudy Hardy, vice president of marketing for BMW North America, there is more work to be done in this area. “We are looking at how we can bring some of that M technology and i performance closer to the middle,” Hardy explained, noting that the LA show was the coming out party for an iPerformance range that now includes the 740e xDrive, the 330e and X5 xDrive40e.
“This is a good transition bringing e-drive technology into our mainstream models,” she said, noting that the plug-in approach, which provides up to 14 miles of pure EV range, is a good solution for people who still want to use their vehicles for longer trips without having to recharge.
“We still have range anxiety as the biggest issue in terms of buying a full-electric vehicle,” Hardy said. “The great thing about our iPerformance models is if you want to use the combustion engine and electric engine for ultimate performance, it’s there. If you want to drive more efficiently to maximize your range and MPGe, it’s also there for you.”
The i Performance lineup is sort of a Trojan Horse to get customers interested in alternative fuel technology.
“We are really trying to talk to a larger audience, to prepare them for the changes we will be facing and educate them on the benefits of the iPerformance models. No worry about range; you never have to plug it in if you don’t want to and it’s still more efficient than a solely combustion-powered vehicle.”
Hardy also spoke about the ever increasing lineup of BMW crossovers and SUVs, and about an overall market shift to 60 percent trucks and 40 percent cars. Therefore, BMW will continue to add new crossovers to its lineup.
“I think it is a fundamental shift that is here to stay,” Hardy observed. “Gas prices are low and you look at the behavioral aspects, it is the desire to be tall. We live in the land of the SUV.”
An upcoming BMW X2 is scheduled for 2018, followed shortly by the flagship SUV – the X7.
[Source: KBB]The article BMW aims for more hybrids and crossovers appeared first on BMW BLOG
BMW’s ReachNow program, currently available in Seattle, Portland and New York City, launches a new innovation – ReachNow Residential. Due out on December 8, the Residential program will tie a designated small fleet of vehicles to a particular apartment building, business or community. Initially, the program is launched with the Albanese Organization at The Solaire, the developer’s high-rise residential tower at 20 River Terrace in Battery Park City, New York.
According to Forbes, buildings with at least 100 rental units and at least five available designated parking spaces may be eligible to participate in the pilot program in the cities where ReachNow currently operates. Building owner/operators will be responsible for a maximum of $5,000 in set-up fees, after which eligible residents or employees will be able to opt in to the program for a one-time lifetime membership fee of $39.
In order to be eligible to participate, drivers must be at least 21 years of age with a valid credit or debit card and a valid U.S. driver’s license with an “acceptable” driving record.
The difference between the regular ReachNow membership and ReachNow Residential is that the vehicle must be returned to the same place they were picked up, that is the apartment building or business where the fleet is based.
At launch, the fleet for ReachNow Residential will be composed of i3 electric vehicles.
The article BMW launches ReachNow Residential program appeared first on BMW BLOG
Stephanie Meadow
LPGA Tour — Stephanie Meadow is in the top third of the field after opening with a one over 73 in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at Daytona Beach in Florida.
The Jordanstown player, who has conditional status for 2017 but hopes to win her full card by clinching a top 20 finish after five rounds, is tied for 52nd after making two birdies, a bogey and a double bogey six on the Hills Course at LPGA International.
Thailand's Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras and American amateur Katelyn Dambaugh shot five under 67s on the Jones Course to lead by one stroke from Min-G Kim, Nasa Hataoka and Jaye Marie Green.
Five time LET winner Melissa Reid of England, who feels she has become stale in Europe, is tied sixth after a three under 69 on the Hills Course while English amateur Bronte Law is 92nd after a three over 75 on the Hills.
PGA TOUR Champions Q-School — Paul McGinley added a 75 to his opening 85 but remains near the back of the field in the race for a Champions Tour card at Disney's Magnolia Course in Orlando.
The Dubliner, 50 next month, improved just two places to 76th in the 78-man field on 16 over after another disappointing day.
Jim Carter shot a six-under-par 66 to lead by one stroke from Scott Parel, Skip Kendall and Jose Coceres on eight under par.
Under the new eligibility regulations for PGA TOUR Champions in 2017, the top five finishers at Q-School will earn fully-exempt status, while Nos. 6 through 30 (and ties) will be granted associate membership on Tour, and will have access to event qualifying while bypassing pre-qualifying. Should there be a tie for the fifth and final fully-exempt card, a sudden-death playoff will ensue.
Simon Ward. Picture ©Rafacabrera.com
Gecko Pro Tour — Carrickmacross' Simon Ward followed up his third plae finish at the Westin La Quinta Golf Country Club with a playoff defeat at Parador (Málaga) Golf on the Gecko Tour in Spain.
He tied on seven under par with Sam Connor in just his second stroke play start this year.
BMW’s Art Car history is a special one for fans of the Bavarian brand. For forty years, BMW has hired famous artists to design and paint special BMWs. Some of the most famous BMW Art Cars were Alexander Calder’s BMW 3.0 CSL and Andy Warhol’s BMW M1 Group 4 racer. There have truly been some spectacular Art Cars in BMW’s history. Now, there will be another added to the collection.
John Baldessari’s interpretation of the BMW M6 GT3 was recently unveiled in Miami Beach, with the aforementioned artist present, as well as BMW NA President and CEO Ludwig Willisch and Jens Marquardt, Director of BMW Motorsport.
Baldessari, an American master of conceptual art, was very excited to work on the M6 GT3, as it’s a project like no other he’s ever worked on. “I have done only one work in my life involving a car before, and that was an image of a car. So for the BMW Art Car project, I entered uncharted territory, not just in terms of the subject, but also moving from two- to three-dimensional art. A challenge I did enjoy! The ideas all came at once: for instance, the red dot on the roof, so you can see it from above, FAST on one side and a picture of the car on the other side. I like the ambiguity, having two-dimension and three-dimension at the same time. Considering the car as an icon of contemporary life, my concept turned out playfully satirical, but it also highlights some of the trademark ideas that I use. So you can say, the BMW Art Car is definitely a typical Baldessari and the fastest artwork I ever created!”
Baldessari is famously a minimalist and that’s evident in his M6 GT3 design. But he’s also quite conceptual in his art and he plays on the multi-dimensionality of the automobile by adding an image of the car on the door of the car in profile.
Baldessari’s M6 GT3 is one of the simpler and more minimalist BMW Art Cars in the brand’s history, but it’s certainly one of the better ones. It helps that he had a great looking canvas to start with, but his design doesn’t take anything away from the functional beauty of the M6 GT3. If anything it enhances the functionality and simplistic beauty of the car. So while his work might not be the most exciting Art Car yet, it’s one of the better looking.
The article New BMW M6 GT3 Art Car to be part of history appeared first on BMW BLOG
