1998 Bmw Z3 Roadster Convertible 2-door 1.9l Engine Problem on 2040-cars

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Next BMW X1 caught on flatbed

The X1 had been around for four years before it was added to BMW's US lineup, so it isn't all that surprising that a new version of the company's smallest Sport Activity Vehicle is already in the works. Captured in transit on the back of a flatbed truck, these spy shots give us our first look at the next-gen X1 - codenamed F48 - which is expected to debut around 2015.
While the camouflage does a good job of obscuring most of the styling elements, we definitely see evidence of the X1's new platform. Elements like the loss of the long nose and a noticeably shrunken dash-axle gap (just compare this spy shot picture to this one from our X1 review), are good indicators that the next X1 will move to the new front-wheel-drive platform BMW is using for the new Mini and 1 Series GT. Aside from this, the overall shape is very similar to the current design, but we're sure it will pull many cues from the updated range of BMW products.

BMW profit of $2.7B is down as automaker invests to keep luxury lead

Despite selling 6.6-percent more vehicles - a record by volume - and posting higher revenues in the second quarter of 2013, BMW Group's profit of 2.07 million euros ($2.75 billion) is down 8.8 percent from last year. Investments in new technology (e.g. the new i3) and personnel, in addition to a competitive market, are to blame, BMW states. But the automaker remains committed to its fiscal targets for 2013, which, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, says will be "on a similar scale to 2012."
The BMW brand's sales performance in the first half of the year, which increased by 7.7 percent to 804,258 vehicles delivered, was good enough for it to maintain its lead in the luxury market, narrowly beating Audi, which delivered 780,510 vehicles, Automotive News reports. Mercedes-Benz delivered 694,433 vehicles to cement third place.

Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards honors GM Super Cruise, BMW i3

Our friends at Popular Mechanics have announced the winners of their 2013 Breakthrough Awards, which honor innovations and new technologies in a variety of fields, ranging from medicine to electronics to space travel. Among the winners were a pair of automakers.
The BMW i3 was named one of PM's product breakthroughs, and while the diminutive city car has a range comparable to other electrics, Popular Mechanics was impressed the i3's use of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, which allows the i3 to tip the scales at just 2,800 pounds. But the i3's space-age materials wouldn't have been such a smash if it were priced beyond what the general public could afford. BMW's ability to offer a vehicle with such an advanced construction for around $42,000 (nearly half the price of the Cadillac ELR and only about $7,000 more than a Chevrolet Volt or Ford Focus Electric) is wildly impressive and speaks volumes about the future of ultra-light composites in the auto industry.
The other big winner comes from General Motors, which was named an Innovator this year for its semi-autonomous Super Cruise technology that's currently being tested on a Cadillac SRX. The technology, which we've reported on before, combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering into a super system that will allow hands-free driving under certain conditions.