Category: BMW

2023 BMW iX M60

The exterior of my loaner iX M60 was coated in Storm Bay Metallic color. Under that wrapper is a body constructed from Aluminum Spaceframe with Carbon Core technology including Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic side frame and rear. The iX M60 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) comes standard with 21-inch Aero Bi-Color Wheels wearing all-season tires. The software…


BMW Sees Volatile 2022 With Chips and Energy Squeeze in Focus

BERLIN—BMW lowered its output forecast and warned of a highly volatile second half on Wednesday, pinpointing supplies of energy in Europe and chips worldwide as the two crucial factors to the carmaker hitting full-year earnings targets. New incoming orders were beginning to fall but order books remained filled for the next few months, chief executive…


BMW Sells 13 Percent Fewer Cars in the First Half of 2022

BERLIN—Munich-based carmaker BMW sold nearly a seventh fewer vehicles in the first half of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021 amid chip shortages and intermittent lockdowns in China. From January to June, 1.16 million BMWs, Mini, and Rolls-Royces were delivered, the group said on Friday. That was 13.3 percent fewer than in the…


BMW to Test ONE’s Advanced Battery in Its IX Electric SUV

DETROIT—BMW will install and test a long-range battery developed by Michigan-based startup Our Next Energy (ONE) in the German automaker’s iX electric SUV, the companies said on Tuesday. ONE’s Gemini battery will incorporate two types of battery cells, including one with advanced chemistry that can store more energy and enable vehicle range of 600 miles…


BMW Exploring Energy Investments to Reduce Dependence on Natural Gas

BERLIN—BMW is exploring new investments in solar, geothermal, and hydrogen energy to lower its dependence on natural gas, the carmaker’s production chief told Reuters on Monday, warning an embargo on Russian gas would bring the industry to a standstill. The carmaker, which relied on natural gas for 54 percent of its energy consumption in 2021,…


Stellantis Buys Car-Sharing Business as BMW, Mercedes Take Different Route

FRANKFURT/MILAN—Stellantis has agreed to buy the Share Now car sharing business from BMW and Mercedes-Benz as the two German groups focus more on the software part of their mobility alliance. Formed last year through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, Stellantis wants to become a global leader in car-sharing, using this acquisition…


BMW CEO Warns Against Electric-Only Strategy

BMW Chief Executive Officer Oliver Zipse said companies must be careful not to become too dependent on a select few countries by focusing only on electric vehicles, adding that there was still a market for combustion engine cars. “When you look at the technology coming out, the EV push, we must be careful because at…


BMW’s CEO Expects Chip Shortage to Last Into 2023

BERLIN—A shortage of semiconductors is likely to remain a problem for the auto industry into 2023, German carmaker BMW’s Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said in an interview with newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) published on Monday. “We are still in the height of the chip shortage,” Zipse was quoted as saying. “I expect us to…


2022 BMW X3 M40i

The X3 M40i is powered by a TwinPower Turbo 3.0L inline 6-cylinder engine with 48-volt mild hybrid technology. It features Valvetronic variable valve control system, double VANOS variable camshaft control system, and high precision direct injection for optimized performance and efficiency. Engine power is harness through a standard 8-speed Sport Steptronic automatic transmission. This drivetrain…


BMW Suspends Production in China Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

German automaker BMW announced on March 23 that its plants in Shenyang, China, will temporarily shut down from March 24 due to the city’s COVID-19 restrictions, with no date determined for resuming production. Northeastern China’s Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province with a population of 9.1 million, is home to BMW’s largest production base in…