BMW Exec Confirms Two-Cylinder Motorcycle Engine for i3 REx

A BMW official has confirmed that the range-extender engine to be offered as an option on the battery-powered i3 supermini will be a two-cylinder gasoline unit sourced from the brand's motorcycle division and not the upcoming, larger displacement 1.5-liter three-cylinder petrol engine developed for the Bavarian group's automobiles.

Speaking to Autonews during last week's Detroit Motor Show, Herbert Diess, BMW's head of Research and Development, said that the range-extender engine option will be offered when the new i3 goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013, but he avoided to say how much it will cost.

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BMW Shows the New i3 Concept Coupe on the Move

Displayed for the first time in public at the LA Auto Show last November, the i3 Coupe is a conceptual spin-off from BMW's five-door i3 series that will soon be released in final production trim and go on sale worldwide in the end of 2013.

In this new video, we have the opportunity to see BMW's all-electric sub-compact on the road with the narrator giving us the primary details on the car including driving range and performance stats.

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Scoop: New BMW i3 Prototype Fitted with Final Production Ends

BMW's new urban electric mini has been spied wearing its production front and rear end parts, and in particular, the bumpers and lights. Previously, i3 prototypes were fitted with fake front and rear panels.

While it’s clear that the overall shape and styling will resemble the original i3 Concept car displayed at the 2011 Frankfurt Show, the production model's exterior will be toned down a notch with less fancy detailing.

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U Spy: BMW i3 Coupe Concept Parked on the Streets of LA

As we were reminded earlier this week, BMW has been working on electric cars for four decades now beginning with the 1602 Electric in 1972, and next year, it will introduce its first series production EV in the form of the all-new i3 five-door supermini.

At the recent LA Auto Show, BMW displayed a three-door concept version of the sub-compact model named the i3 Coupe, and it is this car that CarScoop reader Alfred H. spotted on the road this week.

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BMW Creates New i3 Concept Coupe EV with 168hp for the LA Auto Show

These are the first pictures of BMW's new i3 Concept Coupe, which is a slightly sportier looking but less practical, three-door version of the carmaker's carbon-fiber i3 hatchback that will enter production next year.

The i3 Concept Coupe will make its world premiere at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, with the Bavarian automaker stating that it "demonstrates the potential for conceivably extending the model range", which in other words, means, expect a similar model to be added to the i3's range in the very near future.

While keeping the 5d model's lightweight structure and 2,570mm (101.2 inches) long wheelbase, BMW says that the Coupe has a "has a broader, lower-slung look". The designers also eliminated the see-through panels on the doors and the lower section of the rear tailgate.

The i3 Coupe study measures 3,964mm (156.1 inches) in length, 1,768mm (69.6 inches) wide and 1,555mm (61.2 inches) tall, making it roughly the same size as a Ford Fiesta hatchback.

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BMW Already Testing 1-Series Compact Models with its New Three-cylinder 1.5-liter Engines

As we were looking for pictures the other day for our story on the availability of the BMW Group's new 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo engines in the United States and Canada, we discovered images of a prototype of the 1-Series five-door hatchback fitted with this powerplant on the company's website.

To date, while BMW has set the market introduction of the 1.5-liter TwinPower Turbo engine in diesel and petrol forms for 2013, it has only confirmed the i8 sports coupe and the i3 supermini gasoline-electric hybrids as the recipients of the three-cylinder units.

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BMW Group to Add New 1.5-liter Turbocharged 3-Cylinder Engine to U.S. Lineup

Downsizing is the road taken by most automakers in their effort to meet new fuel consumption and emission standards, and three-cylinders with forced induction are the new trend.

Ford will offer a 122HP 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine in the Mondeo mid-size family car and BMW has already revealed a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that is part of the new TwinPower “family”.

On the sidelines of the Paris Auto Show, BMW sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson told reporters that the new 1.5-liter engine, which was displayed on the Active Hybrid Concept, “behaves like a six-cylinder, is half-of a six-cylinder and has the noise of a six-cylinder”.

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Spied: BMW i3 in Hybrid Range Extender Spec Testing in Southern Europe

The first model of BMW's highly ambitious "i" progamme is the i3 five-door hatchback, which was caught by our scoop photographers undergoing hot weather testing in Southern Europe.

The prototype pictured here with the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" decal on the tailgate is believed to be the so called "REX" version equipped with a normally-aspirated 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a range extender charging the battery to generate extra miles.

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BMW Says i8 Plug-in Hybrid Coupe to Cost 'More than €100,000'

We're still a good two years away from the market launch of the most anticipated model of BMW's new i sub-brand, the i8 Coupe, but the Bavarian automaker has already outlined a pricing strategy for the plug-in hybrid.

Speaking to reporters at the grand opening of the i sub-brand’s first sales outlet worldwide on London’s Park Lane, BMW global sales chief Ian Robertson said that the hybrid sports car will sell for "more than €100,000 (about US$125,400 or £80,600)" - apparently in Europe, according to a report from Bloomberg News.

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BMW Shows i3 Concept with Recolored Interior

The opening of BMW's first dedicated i Store in London was accompanied by the presentation of an updated version of the i3 Concept.

While some have been spreading the word that this particular i3 Concept features a newer interior that is closer to the production model, this is not true.

What BMW's designers did is simply change the colors of the cabin and add different materials on the seating surfaces and eucalyptus wood trim on the dashboard, nothing more, nothing less.

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BMW Opens its First Dedicated i Store Worldwide in London

The introduction of the new "i" sub-brand for BMW's upcoming pure electric, plug-in hybrid and other alternative fuel vehicles was only the beginning as the Bavarian carmaker is taking the project to a whole new level with the opening of the first dedicated i Store worldwide in London's Park Lane. Read more »

Spy Shots: BMW i3 Hatch Captured Out on the Move Again

One of BMW's most innovative projects is slowly taking its production form as evidenced by these fresh scoop photos of the i3 undergoing winter tests in Germany.

Previewed by the i3 concept study, the small hatchback will be the first member of BMW's new "i" sub-brand, which was created for models fitted with alternative drive trains, such as electric motors and hybrids. The i3 will go on sale in 2013 followed shortly after by the i8 hybrid sports coupe.

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BMW Takes the Joy Out of Driving with Autonomous Technology

The maker of the so-called "Ultimate Driving Machine" is testing a new technology that allows the car to replace the driver under certain conditions such as highway driving or in traffic jams.

BMW first told us about its experimental Highly Automated Driving system last summer but now we have the opportunity to see it work in action through a video report released by the German automaker.

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Two “i”s Can’t Make a Wrong: BMW and Apple Join Forces to Launch iAd in Europe

Looking for new ways to market its new “i” sub-brand, BMW has chosen to launch three new digital channels through foursquare, Mashable.com and iAd. The latter is Apple’s mobile advertising platform used by third-party developers to apply ads into the applications downloaded to the users’ iPad, iPhone and iPhone touch mobile devices. Read more »

SCOOP: New BMW i3 REx with Range Extender Petrol Engine Spotted in Production Form

A prototype of the upcoming BMW i3 hatchback was spied wearing its production-ready body, while being transferred on a truck in Europe.

Fans of the roundel had the opportunity to see what the Bavarian company's foray into the electric car segment will look like when it hits the market in 2013 with the i3 concept model, which is currently on display at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Not surprisingly, the prototype seen here suggests that the production version will have a slightly more conventional appearance. The shape of the roof remains as do the suicide-style rear doors but it looks like they will be much smaller in length than on the concept with the front doors featuring a handle, something that leads us to believe BMW may follow a similar solution as the one used on the MINI Clubman.

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Mission Impossible: Paula Patton Tries to Add Some Beauty to BMW i3 and i8 Concepts at LA Auto Show

Unlike the Fiat Group and to a lesser extent, South Korean and French automakers, the BMW Group doesn't find it necessary to use beautiful female or male models to attract the attention of the media and casual visitors alike upon its vehicles during motor shows.

So when American actress Paula Patton juggled her way onto BMW's Los Angeles Motor Show stage for the presentation of the fully-electric i3 hatchback and hybrid-electric i8 coupe concept cars, we were kind of surprised.

If you're not familiar with Ms. Patton, we won't blame you as the 35-year old actress hasn't really won any breakthrough roles. However, she will star alongside Tom Cruise in the next Mission Impossible film titled "Ghost Protocol" to be released December 21.

And as you probably already know, BMW's gasoline-electric hybrid i8 Concept will be featured in the movie.

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IAA 2011: BMW i3 Study Previews New EV Premium City Car

BMW chose the Frankfurt Motor Show to tease its upcoming pure-electric model, the five-door i3 city car with a concept study of the same name.

The concept, formerly known as the Megacity, features a 170 HP electric motor placed over the rear axle that is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

It generates 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque and drives the rear wheels, providing a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of under 8.0 seconds while its top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).

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BMW's i3 EV Hatch and i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe Live and in the Flesh

We got our first look at BMW's eco-friendly i3 and i8 concept cars during a presentation in Germany at the end of July, but while the Bavarian firm released a bevy of videos showing off the two cars and their technological highlights, all films were the product of computer manipulation.

Lucky for us (and you), a Youtube user was in the right place at the right time filming both the BMW i3 pure electric hatchback and the i8 hybrid sports coupe during a photo shoot in Chicago.

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BMW Shows Off i3 EV and i8 Hybrid Concepts on Film

The headline story on the automotive front today (that would be Friday, July 29) is no doubt the presentation of the first concept models of BMW's new division for alternative fuel vehicles that we will come to know as the "i" series.

We've already given you a first look at the i3 pure-electric hatchback as well as the sporty i8 gasoline-electric hybrid coupe concepts, but BMW has also released a series of films on both vehicles.

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BMW i3 Concept: Pure Electric Hatchback with Optional Range Extender to go on Sale in 2013 [79 Photos]

The car we originally came to know as the Megacity Vehicle was officially revealed today as the BMW i3 Concept ahead of its 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show debut and less than two years before it goes on sale in 2013.

The new i3 along with the i8 sports coupe concept (we'll have more on that in a bit) that was also shown today, are the first vehicles of BMW's new i sub-brand with which the Bavarian company plans to sell a range of environmental-friendly hybrids, pure-electric and range-extended cars.

The upcoming i3 will be BMW's first ever mass produced all-electric model. The five-door hatchback rides on a new dedicated architecture named "LifeDrive".

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