BMW will introduce the world to a further customizable automobile. As we recently hinted at, BMW has all intentions of making their future cars feature 2-way communication and a completely customizable experience. Much in the same way a personal computer can be customized the vehicle will be able to be, screen savers, colors of the menus etc. These customizations will not need to be made within the car, they can be made remotely on a personal home computer and transferred to the vehicle via a remote server from the internet (GSM Telematics unit) or from a portable device (car key fob, USB fob drive, CD/DVD, etc.)
What is of greater interest is what else we have learned: Functions for the engine and boost levels will also have user preferences that can be customizable for performance or economy, diagnostics can also be accomplished via two way communication with the server. Time shifting radio (Tivo for the radio is now possible with a hard disk based system) the ability to log on to the net and start the HVAC system, to schedule when the seat heaters turn on etc.
All of this will be done via the web (or as above) eliminating much of the fuss associated with making changes within the car, this builds on the current use of Connected Drive. Each user can customize the car to his/her preferences and the car will automatically adjust the setting once the key fob is detected just as many features today do.
Here is a video that describes the current abilities and developments of the BMW Efficient Dynamics program. There are shots of an iDrive screen with guages/meters showing the efficiency and current usage levels of Efficient Dynamics technologies.
It is also worth noting that the direct injection with lean burn technology is mentioned. If and when BMW is able to find a way to introduce this to the US it would be a boost in efficiency and power!
Jalopnik has a photo of a car badged 555i that a reader sent in from California. Is this a test mule for the 555 we had mentioned earlier or just someone changing a badge? Our sources are on it and we will continue to update as we get more information. You can read-up on the 555i if you haven’t already here in one of our past articles.
Last month we broke the news to the world that there was a new iDrive on the horizon for most of vehicles in the BMW lineup. This was met with some skepticism. As sources have continued to verify it there is very little doubt that it will indeed happen sooner than later.
What we did not know was the total package. One of our sources indicated that the car would have a hard disk and a system from Harmon Becker but we were unable to confirm this information at that time. Time has rolled on and our good friend, Jonathan Spira, has confirmed some of the same information. He has acquired information that essentially has spilled the beans on much of the up coming iDrive.
We still are a bit puzzled by the hard drive allotment; 10GB for a phone book? All in all this sounds to be a much improved system when you also consider the fact it will also feature the new controller. As we know all too well sources sometimes give you bits and pieces of information and you have to sift through them, we commend this effort and can at least agree that the system will feature a hard disk; we know this from the interior of the F01 7 series as there is only one slot! The details may still not be finalized and changes are happening regularly so the system we will eventually see may be a bit different. Information we have obtained indicates that there will be a multimedia showing of the new iDrive around the launch of the F01/02 on 07.07.08.
05-25-2008
Weather: Rain at the start, drying out later. Air: 19-21, Track: 19-22
Monte Carlo (MC). Lewis Hamilton recovered from an early contact with the barriers to win a frantic Monaco Grand Prix and take the lead in the drivers’ championship. Robert Kubica drove a clean race to take second ahead of Felipe Massa.
Finishing second in the most prestigious Grand Prix of the year, Robert Kubica made sure he took part in the podium celebrations held in the principality’s famous winners’ lounge. It was the team’s fourth podium this season and their eighth overall. Kubica’s team mate, Nick Heidfeld, who has four podiums to his credit, had a black Sunday. Having started from 12th he had improved to fifth when Fernando Alonso (Renault) hit the side of his car on lap 14. In the end Heidfeld brought his damaged F1.08 to the chequered flag in 14th and last place.
Kubica continues to be in control while Heidfeld is dealt another blow to his confidence.
Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying, Saturday – 24.05.08
Weather: light rain during practice, dry during Qualifying. 19-21°C Air, 19-29°C Track
Monte Carlo (MC). Robert Kubica qualified fifth for the Monaco Grand Prix. His teammate, Nick Heidfeld, ended his streak of qualifying in the top 10 for 28 consecutive races when he came in 13th. A red flag after an accident (David Coulthard) robbed him of his last opportunity to get a top ten position.
Light rain in the morning gave a preview of what a wet race would be like in Monaco. For Kubica and Heidfeld the third practice session was trouble free. Kubica especially dealt well with these tricky conditions.
This weekend the famed Grand Prix of Monaco will take place. The BMW Sauber F1 team is expected to do well in this race even though only one car (Kubica) will be tuned specifically for this demanding course.
Nick Heidfeld blew his motor during practice and the team scrambled to replace it so that he would be able to get back racing; whether or not this will effect both drivers is still unknown. The rain forecasted will be a further complication and may create treacherous conditions for the drivers.
If you are lucky enough to have the “Speed” channel you can tune into this race on Saturday and Sunday with a start time around 8am EST.
Ever wonder how long you have to change your mind about a color or option? Maybe you will be stuck with it or maybe not. BMW uses specialized internal status codes to describe where in the production sequence a particular vehicle is. Depending on when you ordered the car and where the allocation slot was you usually have some time to make adjustments to the order.
Your CA can access the status of the order through the BMW computer system. You may also track your order through the BMW phone number and online via the website (these options are not as accurate). Once a car reaches status 112 you have a very brief time frame to make any necessary changes. If you have any doubts about the makeup of your order it is best to make the changes as soon as possible because once production has started you have no ability to change the car! Here is a list that helps sort out the codes:
The guys over at BimmerPost have some spy photos of what was believed to be the new BMW “V3″. To us the nose looked more like the X1 from spy shots we had seen a while back.
This car is in reality a E91 with an X1 nose on it. The X1 as we reported earlier will be based on the E91 platform. This mule is allegedly testing the new I4 turbo that BMW and PSA recently agreed to in a joint venture. It is much cheaper and easier for BMW to test cooling and other related systems in a modified car than to create a pre-production model. What is interesting to see is that these new motors will not only be used in the Z, and 1 as we were originally led to believe. They will be used elsewhere in the model lineup (but if you consider the X1 as part of the 1 series then it makes more sense!). There is little indication that the US will see these 4 cylinders anytime soon.
For all those in the North East or those that just love to participate in large scale BMW events look ahead to September 23-28 of this year.
The BMWCCA is once again hosting an event at the famous Watkins Glen race track. It is a course full of twists and turns with beautiful surroundings. It is located just outside of Ithaca, NY in the Finger Lakes Region (also known for its wineries). In the Fall this region is simply breathtaking and aside from the event there are a wide range of activities to participate in.
The event will feature general activities for socializing, car drooling and clinics. For you track warriors there will be autocross, car control clinics and a variety of track based schools. All in all it looks to be a great event at a great venue. For all those that are interested please see the official site. Register early to save some money and to also assure yourself of a quality hotel at a reasonable price!
As we reported several weeks ago BMW and Daimler (Mercedes Benz) continue to discuss a variety of joint ventures.
The talks are more for cost savings and economies of scale than anything else. R&D, purchasing from suppliers would all benefit from a larger scale operation. This small scale has been a strong point and a downfall for both manufacturers, they tend to develop (along with suppliers) breakthrough technologies but have difficulties selling on a large enough scale to make profit margins great enough for investors and the overall health of the company.
BMW has seen a drop in its profit margins and Daimler recently lost a lot in the Chrysler fiasco so both can benefit from sharing in development costs and greater scale in purchasing. What remains to be seen is how deep this relationship will go and how it will effect future models, especially in green technologies.
As we had originally stated the //M3 sedan will be getting an update along with the rest of the E90 sedans. The front fascia will remain the same as it already has the //M specific aerodynamics and aggressive look. This spy shot from our friends at BimmerPost shows that the rear will see the new notched CELIS LED lighting more along the lines of the X6. The interior tweaks are still being hid very well for all the E90s (aside from the iDrive) as the spies have not yet released photos of them.
Space Grey appears to be a new option for the sedan. The coupe version has been wearing that since its inception; so it is nice of the coupe to finally share its paint with its four-door sibling because it is such a great color!
This means there are going to be some really angry owners of the pre-LCI E90 //M3, the car is getting a new look six months after the intro, especially if they paid a premium!
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We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
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Sections: Concept, Design May 31st, 2008 50 Comments 
