BMW Patents Technology for Side Window Wipers

BMW is a car manufacturer known for its great-handling products. The fact that people automatically think about a car doing drifts when thinking about BMW is also a statement to the sporty image the brand has in the eyes of its potential customers. Beyond marketing talk, the blue and white roundel is actually associated with a good time behind the wheel and while it sounds great at first, it does come with some drawbacks.

Drifting means your car will slide sideways while turning the rear tires into rubber dust. Get some bad asphalt in the picture as well and you get a weird mix of stuff flying around your car whenever you’re having fun on the track. As we all know, one key element on the track is visibility and not just forward. The windscreen is usually covered by the windscreen wipers but what about the side windows?

Well, BMW announced today, April 1, that it patented a new technology meant to allow you to clean your side mirrors with a set of wipers as well in the near future. For now, the tech is applicable solely for the front windows but engineers inside BMW tell us that there are already plans in motion to migrate it to the rear windows as well. The new wipers will apparently be connected to g-force sensors that detect when your drifting and activate them automatically.

“This is an efficient solution which adds a bit of safety to our cars while they are driven as they are supposed to. We’re not condoning aggressive behavior behind the wheel so we recommend testing this new feature on the track only. As a matter of fact, the ever-increasing number of great tracks open around the world is what inspired us to create this new tech and we’re glad we can unveil it today,” said Fritz Windschutzscheibenwischer, the engineer behind it all.

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BMW’s UK MINI plant shuts down for 4 weeks

The scheduled shut down of the MINI plant in the UK started today, despite the Brexit delay. The move was planned over six months ago to help BMW deal with any disruption resulting from Brexit. Shutdowns are organized far in advance so employee holidays can be scheduled and suppliers can adjust volumes, making them hard to move.

“This is what our company and our workforce have planned for over many months and it is fixed into our business planning,” said a BMW spokesman told Reuters.

Brexit is now said to be scheduled to at least April 12, but those plans are yet to be set in stone.

BMW’s Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood will also close for two weeks.

A few months ago, BMW said that the plans to temporarily close the plant were put in motion in order to minimize the risk of any possible short-term parts-supply disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

BMW, which is also closing its central English Hams Hall engine facility and Swindon press shop and sub-assembly site for four weeks.

Last summer, to be fully prepared for Brexit, BMW was holding training sessions for suppliers near its factories in Munich and Oxford, England, to make sure they are ready for the customs clearance procedures BMW suspects they will need to move parts between the UK and the European Union. It’s a process that many haven’t spent much time on because they operate only within the EU.

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VIDEO: We took the BMW Z4 sDrive30i out in Palm Springs

I recently wrote up a review on the BMW Z4 sDrive30i, which I had personally test driven during BMW’s Test Fest a couple of months back. It was one of the more fun and entertaining cars I’d driven that day and it showed me that the more powerful, and significantly more expensive, Z4 M40i wasn’t necessarily always the better option. In this video review, I expand on that a bit and try and give you a more accurate idea of what it’s like to drive the new Z4.

Reading about how a car drives and watching a video about how a car drives are two very different animals. When you read about it, you just have to trust my words. But when you watch this video, you get to see it, hear it and watch it drive in real time.

Admittedly, the driving isn’t too thrilling in this video but blame unlucky circumstances for that. BMW only had Z4s available to drive on the road and gave us two routes. One of which we’d used last year and it’s a fantastic driving route, with serpentine roads that run between rock formations with stunning scenery in the background. Unfortunately, that road was blocked due to roadwork. So we had to take the other route, which was almost entirely flat, public roads and highways. The second route did lead us to the beautiful Salton Sea but that the trip there and back was quite dull and filled with traffic and semi-trucks.

Still, I was able to drive a drop-top BMW Z4 in Palm Springs, California, so I wasn’t going to complain. It also let me test out the car’s ride, comfort and just general overall feel. Hopefully we can get the BMW Z4 back home for a test soon enough and drive it on some proper roads. For now, this video is the best we’ve got.

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A low miles BMW 1M just sold for $77,000

The used car market for the future BMW 1M classic is starting to heat up. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen several 1M Coupes selling in the $50K-65K range, but this latest example from Bring-a-Trailer apparently sold for $77,000. According to the listing, this 2011 BMW 1M was sold new at BMW of San Antonio and shows just over 1,000 miles.

The car is equipped with heated seats, Premium Package 2, the Convenience Package, Harmon Kardon surround sound, satellite radio, and navigation. Recent service included a brake fluid flush and an oil and filter change. This 1M was purchased by the seller in 2017 from its original owner with a clean California title.

Valencia Orange is the color on this 1M, one of the three exterior paints offered for the car – the other being the Sapphire Black and Alpine White.

The Y-spoke 19″ light alloy wheels are said to retain their original Michelin Pilot Sport tires that measure 245/35 up front and 265/35 at the rear. Factory options included heated front seats that are electrically-adjustable.

With just 740 units sold in the US, and many out of commission already, the BMW 1M is one of the rarest bimmers on the road today. The highly exclusive sports coupe not only stands out with its limited tag, but also with looks and performance that are unique in the segment.

Even before it launched in 2011, BMW 1M was sold out at most dealerships across the country. And in places where units were still available, outrageous MSPRs were being thrown around, north of $10,000 over the normal price in some cases.

BMW was originally going to release the 1M as a limited production model of 2,700 units. Then due to overwhelming demand, the company lifted the cap and produced a total of 6309 cars until production ended in June 2012. Nevertheless, production of the 1M Coup stopped in June 2012, with 740 units sold in the US and a further 220 sold in Canada. Total 6309 cars sold worldwide.

 

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BMW Motorrad presents the autonomous iRace Kit for BMW S 1000 RR

The BMW S 1000 RR is a monster of a bike. Its 207 hp and unladen weight of just 193.5 kilograms make it very, very fast. Yet its sophisticated suspension and sublime balance make it incredibly capable as well. Even still, it can be hard to novice riders and even customers who’ve only just gotten their license to turn in good lap times. But what if the bike could do it for you?

Welcome BMW Motorrad’s iRace Kit for the BMW S 1000 RR. The iRace Kit essentially makes the entire bike completely autonomous, if the driver so chooses to use it, and can be used to lap race tracks far faster than the driver can. According to BMW, “Whether accelerating, braking, gear shifting or steering, with the BMW Motorrad iRace Kit, the RR is able to perform every maneuver fully automatically if the rider so desires, enabling him to enter completely new dimensions of motor transport physics.”

The driver is able to select a specific driving mode for the autonomous iRace Kit through the TFT screen and can even select his or her own lap time. Even the lap record, if one so chooses. The bike will have all major tracks around the world pre-programmed into it. So, as a rider, all you need to do is show up, get up, press a button and break the lap record.

There will be Beginner, Sportsman and Advanced riding modes, which become more and more aggressive with the bike’s braking zones, acceleration and driving lines. Then there’s the Unlimited riding mode, which is for breaking lap records but the rider better be in great physical shape to hang on.

“The development of the BMW Motorrad iRace Kits was based on the experience made by our Superbike world champion riders. They provided us with valuable programming data, particularly as far as the braking points were concerned. We believe that this patented BMW Motorrad system will enable the majority of S 1000 RR riders to enter a whole new world of motorcycling. It is conceivable that we might even integrate the system in other models at some point in the future.” said Dr. Phillip-Magnus Schalk, head of autonomous racing simulation at BMW Motorrad.

Rider Rosario Fröschle was able to experience the BMW S 1000 RR iRace Kit on the Isle of Man circuit.“I had never been on this track before and I have to admit that over the first lap in Beginner mode, what I experienced was sheer fear. But I soon began to realise that the iRace could do everything better than me, and I started to gain trust. By the fourth lap in Unlimited model, the RR was literally flying me round the track. As the data logs subsequently confirmed, I managed it in a time that was only just less than eight seconds above the lap record of 16:50.202 minutes, set one week later by Peter Hickman. It was pure madness, but completely safe.”

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Alfa Romeo GTV to be a 600 hp hybrid coupe and look fantastic

Today is April Fools, so don’t take a lot of car news today too seriously. However, this one is for real, as it was actually revealed a few days ago. We’d known that Alfa Romeo was working on a new sports coupe based on the currently Giulia sedan and we’d already known that it would be very powerful. In fact, it was already leaked that this upcoming coupe would be called the Alfa Romeo GTV and would make about 600 hp. Now, though, we know it will be gorgeous.

Last year, some internal Alfa Romeo information and powerpoint slides were leaked, showing off the Italian brand’s plans for the future. In the leaked info, it was revealed that Alfa had the upcoming GTV planned for some time and that the goal was to make 600-plus horsepower from a combination of the brand’s 2.9 liter twin-turbo V6 and hybridization.

Now, a new leaked photo from an internal Alfa presentation shows us what the new Alfa Romeo GTV will look like. Or at least what the back half of it will look like. And it looks great.

It’s sleek, athletic and emotional looking, like a proper Alfa should. The lack of B-pillar looks great and so too does its sharp kink at the C-pillar. It’s also low and long, suggesting it might be a bit bigger than something like a BMW M4 and possibly a BMW M8/M850i competitor. Especially with a 600 hp hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive. That would make for a very interesting new competitor in the segment.

We won’t see this car until 2021 but we’re excited to see it when it does finally debut. With Alfa’s current track record, this GTV should be gorgeous and it should be very fast. How it compares to whatever BMW product it competes with is a different story, obviously, as it hasn’t even been officially revealed yet. Still, the return of an Alfa Romeo GTV, an iconic nameplate, with 600 horsepower and stunning looks is a prospect all enthusiasts can get excited about.

[Source: Autocar]

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Leona can take positives from final day battle

Leona Maguire

There was no maiden win but Leona Maguire can take solace from the way she battled back from a tough start and made a major move in her bid for an LPGA Tour card with her second top-five finish in a row at the wind-blown IOA Championship in California.

Leading by one stroke overnight at Morongo Golf Club in California in her bid for a maiden professional win on the Symetra Tour, she dropped six shots in her first eight holes as high winds buffeted Morongo Golf Club.

But she fought back well, eventually carding a five-over 77 to finish just two strokes behind winner Jillian Hollis, tied for fourth with Jean Reynolds on two-under-par. Scores

The Co Cavan star (24) earned $6,108 to move up to seventh in the Volvik Race for the Card standings with the top 10 guaranteed LPGA Tour cards and avoiding a trip to Q-School at the end of the season.

While she bogeyed the second, double-bogeyed the third and then dropped three shots in a row from the sixth in testing conditions, she refused to give up and even had an outside chance of forcing a playoff at the 18th

After digging in with seven straight pars, she birdied the short 17th to go to the last just two strokes adrift of Hollis, who birdied the 15th, eagled the 16th and then made a five-footer at the last for a 74 to edge out Paraguay's Julieta Granda and Amy Lee by a stroke on four-under.

The Slieve Russell star needed a birdie at the last to match clubhouse leader Granada but missed and as Lee bogeyed to finish tied second, Hollis avoided more drama by holing a five-footer for a winning par.

“That 74 was a good score,” Hollis said after a day that saw just five players in the 65 strong field break par. “It was so hard playing golf today. 

"People are going to look at today’s final-round scores and say, ‘those scores aren’t very good.’ Today with the wind on this course, if you shot 75 to 78, that’s a good score.”

Maguire remains in California for this week's 54-hole Windsor Golf Classic which begins at Windsor Golf Club on Friday.

It will be a week off for Stephanie Meadow after she finished tied 55th after a closing 74 at the Kia Classic on Sunday and failed to qualify for this week's ANA Inspiration, the opening major of the season. Scores

Meadow finished on one-under par as Japan's Nasa Hataoka shot 67 to win by three shots from Danielle Kang, Spain's Azahara Muñoz and Korean trio Jin Young Ko,  Sung Hyun Park and Inbee Park on 18-under.

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