From China for China: BMW Teams up with Brilliance to Create 5-Series Plug-in Hybrid Sedan

BMW has teamed up with joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. to develop a new plug-in hybrid model based on the long wheelbase version of the local market 5 Series Sedan, which is available exclusively in China. The prototype model will receive its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai 2011 later this month. Read more »

Video Tour of the Unmade BMW M Cars Including the M3 Tourer and Compact, Ur-Roadster and M5 Cabriolet

It is by far, the most sacred place for a BMW M fan. We’re talking about the BMW M Division’s underground facility where the company stores copies of all the production cars and prototypes it has ever built, including a variety of never before seen in public vehicles. In a surprising but much welcomed move, the German automaker recently opened the doors of the special M garage to the members of

BMW M8: Video Walkaround of the Wildest 8-Series Powered by the Same V12 in the McLaren F1

If there’s one BMW M car that should have been built, that’s without doubt the M8. Instead, the Bavarians gave us the diluted 850CSi that was powered by a modified version of the 850i’s V12 engine with an incre00ased displacement of 5.6-liters pushing out 380-horsepower. Last week, BMW opened up the doors of its special M car garage to the press revealing a variety of unmade prototype models

BMW Officially Unveils New M5 Sports Saloon Concept Ahead of Shanghai Show

We received our first taste of the new M5 Concept during the weekend thanks to a series of photos that leaked from a press event in Germany, but today, BMW came out with an official release detailing its sports saloon ahead of its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai 2011 in China later this month. The Concept M5 is essentially 99 percent production ready, so don’t expect any surprises in terms

2012 BMW M5 Concept: First Photos Out in the Open

In a move that certainly won’t leave BMW officials happy, pictures of the 2012 M5 Concept from a preview event held in Germany prior to the car’s world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show in China later this month, leaked onto the internet. As with most BMW concepts of the sort, the new M5 study is 99 per cent production ready, so don’t expect to see anything different when the sports saloon make

VIDEO: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics “Spied” in Abu Dhabi

As previously reported, BMW has officially green-lighted a production version of the Vision ED plug-in hybrid sports car. So, it was only a matter of time before new information on the eco-friendly model would surface online. First we saw some pictures hit the Teamspeed forum, followed by this here video, but we’re not entirely convinced that both are part of a lucky scoop. Read more »

eBay Find: 1981 E23 BMW 735i Touring Prototype [with Video]

Yep, that’s not a typo: BMW did actually build an E23 735i Touring and it showed it at the 1980 Frankfurt Auto Show to gauge the public’s reaction. Unfortunately (or not), the car didn’t make it into production and was slowly forgotten, up until ten years ago. That’s when this example, one of only two custom built prototypes, first surfaced on eBay with 8,179 miles (13,163 km) on the odometer.

BMW’s Vision ED-based Sports Car Likely to Cost Around US $200,000

Back in November, BMW confirmed that a hybrid sports car based on its Vision EfficientDynamics Concept would enter production in 2013. However, the Bavarian automaker did not disclose any details about the price of its 'green' performance machine. Now, according to a report from InsideLine [IL] citing the BMW Sales and Marketing Director, Ian Robertson, the production version will cost a little