The BMW i8 Can Now Truly Be Called a Halo Car |
- The BMW i8 Can Now Truly Be Called a Halo Car
- All-New Ford Fiesta to be Revealed Next Week
- Top 10 Countries with the Deadliest Roads
- Gallery: 34 Stunning Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Photos from Laguna Seca
The BMW i8 Can Now Truly Be Called a Halo Car Posted: When it hit the market, the BMW i8 was lauded for its awesome looks. A few years later, the i8's futuristic power trains and construction have made it into modern BMWs. It started back with the 7 Series, where BMW applied the lessons it learned in making the i8's (and i3's) carbon-fiber passenger cell to the large luxury sedan. At the time of its introduction, the latest generation 7 Series sports more more carbon fiber than in any mass-produced car to date. The creation of the i8 also contributed to the development of carbon fiber parts on M2, M3 and M4. That's cool and all, but the 7 Series is expensive and made for a kind of exclusive crowd, like the i8, while the M vehicles are easily described as niche vehicles, catering to an enthusiast crowd. A true halo car represents what's coming from an automaker in the future. It should excite potential customers and give them a peek into what the future holds, like a real-life concept car. With the recently revealed iPerformance brand, BMW is taking another lesson learned from the i8 into mainstream vehicles: hybrid powertrains. The iPerformance lineup in the US includes three cars: the 330e, the 740e xDrive and the X5 xDrive40e. All models use a hybrid powertrain comprised of a turbocharged four-cylinder and an electric motor. Talking to Jose Guerrero, Product Manager for BMW i and BMW M, he explained that the main focus for BMW is to not let the new hybrid vehicles feel like something boring to drive, like a Toyota Prius. To do that, they looked to the exhilarating BMW i8, a car that is commonly described as a blast to drive, despite its relatively low power numbers (357 hp.) The fun-to-drive nature comes through an e-Boost feature that uses the electric motors to provide extra acceleration. At the same time the iPerformance cars are extremely fuel friendly. The 330e earns 71 MPGe, the 740e xDrive gets 64 MPGe and the X5 xDrive40e earns 56 MPGe. All BMW iPerformance cars can be plugged in, and are capable of going 14 miles on a single charge. When the onboard battery is depleted, the car acts like a normal hybrid BMW, with low fuel consumption. Without a charge, the 330e earns 30 MPG combined, the 740e xDrive earns 27 MPG combined and the X5 eDrive40e gets 24 MPG combined. See Also: MINI's Largest Model Ever is Also its First Plug-in Hybrid Finally,Guerrero explained that the i8 actually has an impact on other BMW Group vehicles, pointing out the newly revealed MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is practically a backwards i8. The new MINI uses a turbocharged three-cylinder engine to power the front axle and an electric motor to power the rear axle. Like the rest of the hybrids mentioned, it can be plugged in and is capable of getting 24 miles on a charge. In a way, the i8 gave birth to a whole range of new BMWs (and even a MINI), be it exciting sports cars, extremely advanced executive limos, and mass market hybrid offerings. If there was any doubt before, it's truly become a halo car for the automaker and will continue to preview future products from the brand. |
All-New Ford Fiesta to be Revealed Next Week Posted: Ford plans to roll out a next-generation Ford Fiesta this week on Tuesday, Nov.29. The company will reveal the new subcompact car at an event in Germany this week while the car is expected to land in North American dealerships in 2018. "The new Fiesta will be our best expression of Ford — lovable fun, sporty to drive and with an unmatched personality true to the spirit of the iconic small car that has delighted generations of customers for the past 40 years," said Jim Farley, president of Ford of Europe. The new Fiesta is expected to be more upscale with a number of new safety features and larger displays inside. In Europe, Ford may even offer a luxury Vignale trim of the Fiesta. SEE ALSO: Ford Mustang May Ditch V6, Gain Magenride Though it will stay on the same platform, the Fiesta is also expected to grow slightly in size, leaving space for a larger Ka+ model. Previous spy photos also show new styling thanks to a fresh front fascia and new headlights. Ford currently builds the Fiesta in Germany, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, Venezuela, Taiwan and India. For the U.S., the Fiesta will continue to be built in Cuautitlan, Mexico. [Source: Automotive News] Discuss this story at our Ford Forum |
Top 10 Countries with the Deadliest Roads Posted: Around the world, at least one person is killed on the roads every 30 seconds, and for every death, another 20 people are injured. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 752 pedestrians are killed on the road every day, and 786 motorcyclists lose their lives in accidents every day globally. Statistics from the World Bank group, Transportation for Development reveal that less developed countries have a higher number of road deaths. Transportation for Development attributes the higher number of road fatalities largely to poor infrastructure, poor vehicle safety standards and inadequate driving laws. SEE ALSO: Top 10 Countries With the Safest Roads Here's a list of the world's 10 most dangerous countries to drive in based on the WHO's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015 interactive map. 10. MozambiqueThe southeastern African nation of Mozambique has the tenth deadliest roads in the world. The WHO reports that for every hundred thousand inhabitants, an average of 31.6 die on the roads every year. Throughout 2015, 8,173 total road deaths occurred throughout Mozambique. 9. RwandaThe east African nation of Rwanda has the ninth deadliest roads in the world. The WHO reports an estimated 32.1 road fatalities per hundred thousand people, with 3,782 total road deaths occurring in 2015. 8. IranIran has the eighth deadliest roads in the world, with the WHO reporting 32.1 people die on the roads for every hundred thousand inhabitants. Throughout 2015, the WHO reported 24,896 total road deaths across Iran. 7. Central African RepublicThe Central African Republic takes the No. 7 spot with the WHO reporting 32.4 road deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants. The WHO reported 1,495 total road deaths for 2015. 6. United Republic of TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania has the sixth deadliest roads in the world. The WHO reports an estimated 32.9 people are killed on the roads per hundred thousand inhabitants, and that 16,211 total road deaths occurred throughout 2015. 5. Democratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo takes the N0. 5 spot on the list, with WHO estimates reporting 33.2 road deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants. For 2015, the WHO reported 22,419 deaths across the country. 4. LiberiaThe west African country Liberia has the world's fourth deadliest roads. The WHO estimates that for every hundred thousand inhabitants, 33.7 people are killed on the roads. The WHO also reported that in 2015, there were 1,448 total road deaths in Liberia. 3. MalawiThe southeast African nation of Malawi lands itself in the No. 3 spot, with the WHO reporting 35 deaths per hundred thousand people. Throughout 2015, the WHO estimates there were 5,732 total road deaths across the country. 4. ThailandThailand takes the No. 2 spot as as the country with the second most deadliest roads in the world and the only Asian country in the top 10. WHO reports 36.2 road deaths per hundred thousand people, and a whopping 24,237 total road deaths throughout 2015. The WHO report deems Thailand's drunk driving laws, speed limits, child seat laws and seatbelt laws inadequate. 1. LibyaThe north African country Libya has the deadliest roads in the world, by a wide margin. WHO estimates that 73.4 people are killed on the roads per hundred thousand inhabitants, and that there were 4,554 total road deaths in Libya throughout 2015. The WHO deems Libya's drunk driving laws, speed limits, child seat laws, and helmet laws all inadequate. |
Gallery: 34 Stunning Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Photos from Laguna Seca Posted: Undoubtedly the sexiest Miata ever. Recently a few members of our team traveled to cover the Miatas at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca event and had a unique opportunity. While no one outside of Mazda is allowed to drive the new Miata RF, yet, we did get to spend some quality time, after hours, on the sweeping corners of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with the new hard-top roadster. Camera in hand, this is the result. |
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