Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

Before we know it, the BMW 1 Series will be no more in the United States. Well, sort of. The current six-year-old coupe and convertible will be replaced by the fancy new 2 Series you see here, spotted completely uncovered during a photo shoot, with the 1 Series nomenclature being reserved for the hatchback and GT models that might not ever make it Stateside.

The roofline of the new 2 Series doesn’t appear to have to changed all that much from the current 1 Series coupe, but the front and rear fascias have indeed been smoothed out. (Truth time: As much as your author adores the 1 Series, he’s always found its rear end to be, well, weird.) It looks good, seen here in M235i guise, with large wheels, slimmer headlamps and large air intakes on either side of the front fascia.

The 2 Series is expected to come to the States, likely in M235i and 228i variants, though rumors suggest that we won’t get a non-M 235i model. The M235i is expected to be powered by the N55 turbocharged inline-six that we currently enjoy in the 335i sedan, producing something like 320 horsepower. The 228i, unsurprisingly, should use the 2.0-liter turbo-four from the 328i, making around 240 hp. Both engines will almost certainly employ eight-speed automatic transmissions and six-speed manuals.

Look for the new coupe to make its official debut in the coming months, with production scheduled to start in November.

BMW 2 Series caught uncovered during shoot originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 2 Series caught uncovered during shoot

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, BMW, Luxury

We’ve already seen the upcoming BMW 2 Series testing in both coupe and convertible body styles, and now we’re getting our first glimpse inside the new entry-level coupe. Judging by the sportier exterior that we’ve seen in previous spy shots, this car appears to be equipped with an M-Sport package, so this is likely not what the base interior will look like.

Compared to the current 1 Series, this new coupe will have cleaner cabin design including fewer buttons on the center stack and an instrument panel with more of a dual-brow design. This car has cloth seats with what appears to be a suede-like accent trim and blue stitching, and the seat’s pattern is mimicked on the door panel. The 2 Series will also have a better integrated iDrive controller that operates the widescreen display mounted atop the instrument panel in a similar fashion as what we’ve seen recently on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLA-Class.

As mentioned about the exterior, the bigger wheels, blue brake calipers, dual exhaust outlet and subtle decklid spoiler all lead us to believe that this is the M-Sport, but it isn’t sporty enough – inside or out – to make us think this is the rumored M2 model.

BMW 2 Series shows us its insides originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Hatchback, BMW, Electric

As BMW gets closer to introducing the production version of its plug-in i3, we keep seeing the hatchback being tested with lessening degrees of design-obscuring camouflage. Last we heard, BMW is expecting to have the i3 ready by the end of this year, and the swirly, blue camo does little to hide its basic design in these latest spy shots.

We get our first clear look at almost everything above the wavy beltline including the silver roof edges and matching mirror caps, and it can’t hide the dip in the beltline behind the B-pillar – matching what we’ve already seen on the i3 Coupe Concept unveiled at the LA Auto Show last year. Another change we notice is the lower portion of camo removed from the front fascia allowing us to see the air opening and the black, vertical inserts leading up to the fog light bezels. Judging by the “Hybrid Test Vehicle” stickers on the side of this prototype, we can only assume that this is the optional range-extended model.

BMW i3 EV continues to shed camouflage originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, BMW, Luxury

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the upcoming BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe out testing, but we’re sort of inclined to ask “Why?” yet again. After all, the 4 Series is what the new 3 Series-based coupes and convertibles will be called, so the idea of another four-door version just sort of seems redundant. In other words, just how different will a 4 Series Gran Coupe be from a 3 Series sedan, aside from perhaps a more rakish roofline or a four-passenger seating configuration? Probably not much, but BMW clearly thinks it can use the additional bodystyle to rake in some extra profits.

Anyway, back to these spy shots. No more of the 4GC’s skin has been revealed since the last time we saw it, but we fully expect it to share a lot of its design DNA with the 3 Series sedan, not to mention the attractive 4 Series coupe concept that bowed at this year’s Detroit Auto Show.

Powertrain options should carry over direct from the 3 Series line, so we expect to see 428i and 435i models on hand, packing turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines, respectively. We’re sure that BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive will be available, and who knows, we could even get a 428d version with the new 2.0-liter turbodiesel four that debuted in the 328d at the New York Auto Show last week, or even an M4 variant.

The 4 Series coupe is expected to launch later this year, so expect to see the 4CG shortly thereafter.

BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe caught again originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe caught again

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, BMW, Luxury

Despite filming at 2:00 AM and at an undisclosed location, BMW minders filming a commercial for the fast-approaching 4 Series coupe were unable to ward off the long lenses of spy photographers. The result, as you can see here, is our first-ever look at the production version of BMW’s new coupe, completely uncovered.

The night shots may be a little bit grainy, but the fast-moving 4 Series still looks pretty good with its camo closeted, matching the svelte lines of the concept car we saw in Detroit this winter. Expect that the 4 coupe will come to market with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder in 428i trim, and a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder in 435i spec.

Take your time looking through our gallery of movie-star 4 Series photographs, and tell us what you think about the uncovered Bimmer, in comments.

BMW 4 Series production coupe caught on commercial shoot originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 4 Series production coupe caught on commercial shoot

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Luxury

Last time we saw the upcoming BMW M4 out testing, it was heavily clad with camouflage and decidedly homely looking (as most early development mules are). But in this latest set of photos, the M3 coupe successor has started to come into its own skin, and we’re seeing a shape more closely akin to that of a rendering we brought you a few months back.

Unsurprisingly, the M4 coupe looks very similar to the 4 Series Concept that BMW debuted at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. And while non-M version of the 4er will likely look a bit more sedate, these spy shots clearly show an aggressive front fascia, large wheels and the usual quad-exhaust rounding out the rear end.

Naturally, the M3 sedan will launch before this M4 coupe (and convertible), and powertrain details are still unclear as of this writing. We understand that the current M3′s naturally aspirated V8 will be axed in favor of some sort of turbocharged six-cylinder engine, and we’ve heard plenty of rumors as to what, exactly, it might be, but we have yet to hear any official confirmation.

The 4 Series will launch later this year as a 2014 model, and we expect the M4 to follow suit about one year later as a 2015 model.

BMW M4 sheds some camouflage for latest test run originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW M4 sheds some camouflage for latest test run

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, BMW, Luxury

BMW showed off its new 4 Series coupe in concept form at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, but it won’t be long before we see the production model, evidenced by this modestly camouflaged prototype spotted testing. In case you forgot, the 4 Series serves as the replacement for the two-door versions of the BMW 3 Series, just as the upcoming 2 Series will effectively be the new version of the 1 Series coupe and convertible sold in our market.

This isn’t our first glimpse of the 4 Series out testing, and we’ve even spied its droptop, Gran Coupe and too-hot M4 kin. We don’t expect the final design to stray too much from the concept car seen in Detroit, albeit without the normal conceptual goodies like oversized wheels and with the overstyled front fascia toned down a bit. Our spy photographers even caught the 4 Series coupe hanging out with an Audi A5, giving us a good glimpse at how the two cars will stack up in terms of size and design.

It’s still unknown exactly what engines will power the car when it comes to production, but since this thing is a derivative of the 3 Series, we expect the usual range of turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines to be available, likely in 428i ad 435i guise (though, to be fair, the larger 640i coupe uses a 3.0-liter turbo engine, so there’s even the potential for 440i nomenclature to work its way into the mix). We’ll have to wait until the car officially bows later this year to know for sure.

BMW 4 Series spied with its future competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, BMW, Luxury

The BMW 2 Series is the car that will eventually replace the 1 Series here in the United States (remember: the 1 Series moniker will live on to describe the hatchback models in other markets), and while we’ve seen the new coupe out on the prowl, we’re now seeing the droptop version out on the road. We don’t have much information about the new 2er models, only that they are expected to bow sometime in 2014.

Dimensionally, the new 2 Series convertible looks very similar in size to its outgoing 1 Series kin, with things like the roofline and roof shape looking nearly identical. Of course, reworked front and rear fascias are immediately noticeable, and judging by what little we can see, it appears as though the small BMW will take many of its design cues from the larger 3 Series rather than the oft-awkward-looking 1 Series hatch that’s currently available in Europe.

Assuming things are still on track for 2014, we won’t rule out a possible debut in Geneva, though the Frankfurt expo in September makes even more sense.

BMW 2 Series Convertible goes for a drive in the cold originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW 2 Series Convertible goes for a drive in the cold

Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossover, BMW, Luxury

BMW engineers have been very busy lately. We haven’t even officially seen the production M6 Gran Coupe or 4 Series Concept in person yet, and we’re already looking ahead to future products like the forthcoming 2 Series and the redesigned X5. Our quick-triggered spy photographers have caught the 2014 X5 testing before, but this is our best look yet at the restyled CUV – excuse us, SAV (“Sports Activity Vehicle”) – showing off its new skin.

Like the last X5 redesign, the new model looks to be completely different, yet have a very familiar look to the outgoing model. This is especially true in its profile, which has remained relatively unchanged since the X5 originally debuted back in 1999. It does appear that the camouflaged prototype seen here features a sharper, rising bodyside crease. Up front, the X5 will have a more blunt nose like other recent BMW products, and it will also get headlights that stretch to touch the grille like the current 3 Series. Likewise, the rear aspect shows familiar L-shaped taillights, and the X5 looks to retain the dual exhaust outlets poking through its rear fascia.

One interesting element seen in these spy shots are the vertical vents at the trailing edge of the front wheel openings. Are they just aesthetic flourishes, or are they functional? Either way, this X5 definitely does not appear to be as visually aggressive as the X5 M we saw in spy shots back in October, but that’s to be expected.

Clearest look yet at new BMW X5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearest look yet at new BMW X5

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, BMW, Luxury

The BMW i8 is still dashing through the snow on its way to a 2013 debut, and getting more revealing as it does so. The outline of the kidney grille has opened up a bit, and the outline of a Hoffmeister kink has been placed at the rear of the side windows. The door handles appear to have moved off the doors themselves to a spot behind the door shutline. It’s too early to tell definitively, but the new door handle location and the lack of the once-plain gap at the A-pillar lead us to believe that the butterfly openings are gone for good.

The plug-in hybrid i8 is expected to pair a 1.5-liter three-cylinder driving the rear wheels with an electric motor driving the front, the combined output predicted at 393 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Assuming its weight really does come in at 3,125 pounds, it will have a 20-mile all-electric range, a top speed of 156 miles per hour, and get from zero to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds.

Check it out in the high-res gallery of spy shots above.

BMW i8 prototype gives us clearest view yet of its form originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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