BMW will preview its upcoming 9-series sedan with a concept car at the Beijing auto show, according to German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.
The extra-long-wheelbase 9 series will take on the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 Maybach, which itself is production ready and is set to debut in a matter of months.
BMW is progressing with plans for a second North American factory to meet increased demand for its vehicles in the region.
Twenty years after launching U.S. production, BMW says it will expand annual capacity at its Spartanburg, South Carolina, assembly plant to 450,000 units, from 350,000, and build a new crossover at the factory.
Making its North American debut at the New York International Auto Show 2014 will be the updated 2015 BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle, which will include the X3 xDrive28d, the first BMW Advanced Diesel X3 model for the US.
BMW is also using the show to present the latest version of what it sees as the logical next step towards reducing fuel consumption and emissions in the sports activity vehicle SAV segment: the plug-in hybrid BMW Concept X5 eDrive.
BMW’s plant in Berlin has begun series production of the battery-electric BMW C evolution maxi-scooter.
The C evolution is powered by a drivetrain swing arm with liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous motor via a toothed belt and ring gearing. The rated power output is 11 kW (15 hp), with a peak output of 35 kW (47 hp). This enables the C evolution to achieve a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph, electronically limited) and gives it better acceleration than some maxi-scooters powered by engines with displacements of 600 cc or more.
The 8 kWh air-cooled lithium-ion high-voltage battery allows the two-wheeler to cover a range of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) before it needs to be charged from any domestic mains supply. When plugged in to a standard 220V domestic socket with a 12A charge current, recharging fully from empty takes around 4 hours (with 220V / 16A = 3 h).
The Li-ion storage modules are the same as those in the BMW i3, which will be supplied from the BMW plant in Dingolfing. Three of these modules, each containing 12 battery cells are packaged in an aluminum die-cast housing. During installation of the high-voltage battery, the Berlin plant benefited from the experience of colleagues in the BMW Dingolfing and Leipzig, where the BMW i3 comes off the line. This includes the high safety standards in dealing with the high-voltage technology.
