Motor News

The BMW XM concept is a preview of a new SUV that will be the second stand-alone M model (after the M1 of the late 1970s). The XM concept is powered by a plug-in-hybrid powertrain using BMW’s twin-turbocharged V-8 engine and produces 750 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful M production car. It will be built in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and we’ll know more details and specs by the time it debuts in production form next year. Marcus Syring, BMW M’s head of design, says the company wanted something unexpected to celebrate the firm’s 50th anniversary, and here it is: the XM concept, a 750-hp plug-in-hybrid SUV with design elements inspired by the original M car, the M1 of the late 1970s.

BMW says it made this concept an SUV to fit into a growing segment of high-performance utes such as the Lamborghini Urus and the upcoming Ferrari Purosangue. After all, one out of three M cars sold in the United States is an SUV. Earlier spy photos and trademarks had suggested that BMW was working on an X8 and X8 M coupe-like SUV to slot in the lineup above the X7 three-row SUV, but it appears that the XM has taken its place. The new SUV will only be sold as a high-performance M model, and this concept you see here is about 80 to 90 percent of what the production version will be when it arrives at the end of next year, Syring says.

“Good design starts with good proportions,” he says. The XM’s design will incorporate the elements of BMW’s SUVs, M Power, its luxury class, and electrification altogether. Its thin daytime running lights and horizontal kidney grilles give an aggressive look when approaching other cars on the road. It’s “big for presence,” he says about the iconic kidney grilles. Two BMW roundels on the rear window are reminiscent of the M1. The XM has the same 122.2-inch wheelbase as the X7 SUV, and it rides on a set of 23-inch wheels. Even the two-tone bronze and gray color scheme could be a production option. The XM’s plug-in-hybrid powertrain uses BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine paired with an electric motor and produces 750 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful production M car ever, according to BMW, ahead of the 627-hp M5 CS. The XM also outmuscles the Lamborghini Urus (641 horsepower), Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (670 horsepower), and the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat (710 horsepower). Syring says it’s possible that this powertrain could be used in other M models such as the M5. BMW is hoping for around 30 miles of electric driving range.
Syring wanted the XM’s driver and passengers to feel like rock stars, he says, with the cockpit as the front stage with a curved display screen and the rear seat as backstage (there isn’t a third row as in the X7.) The central controls and vents are canted in a group of three like the M logo. This vintage brown leather will likely make production, Syring says, and it’s paired with carbon-fiber elements. “It’s that strong,” he says. “We have to do it.” The rear seats, however, are covered in a deep aqua quilted velvet material, though that’s unlikely to make production, but the textured headliner will, and it’s illuminated with ambient lighting. The XM will enter production at the end of next year at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a price expected to start well over $100,000. Check back here for more details and specs when the production version is revealed, likely next year.
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Genesis has revealed the first photos of the 2023 Genesis G90 sedan.The G90 serves as the brand’s flagship and is larger and more expensive than the mid-size G80 sedan.The new model should be available in the U.S. starting sometime in 2022.Genesis still follows luxury-brand tradition and has a full-size sedan serving as its flagship model—at least until a possible GV90 SUV arrives—and the G90 will soon enter a new generation. These first photos shows off the 2023 G90’s new look, which takes the brand’s design language to new heights and looks about as extravagant as a Bentley Flying Spur. We’ve yet to see the interior or learn any specifications, but we’re eager to learn more about the latest Genesis model.

Significantly larger than the mid-size G80, the G90 will likely ride on the same platform as that lesser sedan but with a stretched wheelbase. There will also be a long-wheelbase version of the G90 similar to the Mercedes-Maybach S-class that features an additional 7.5-inch stretch. The G90’s proportions thus give this model significantly more presence, and the new model’s lines feature more sharp creases and hard edges that give it less of a slab-sided look. The intricately detailed headlights and taillights are also more angular than on other Genesis models but feature the same “two lines” motif.

We expect to see a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 engine serving as the base powertrain, but we’re not sure if the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 used in the current G90 will return. Instead, we’re more likely to see an EV variant called the Electrified G90.Details are slim at this point, but we should know more about the new G90 within the next few months as Genesis releases specifications and photos of the interior before its arrival at dealerships sometime in 2022.
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Hoonigan announced today it’s launching season two of Hoonicorn vs. the World, a web series on YouTube where Ken Block drag-races an assortment of ridiculous and cool vehicles on a runway using his 1400-hp Gymkhana Mustang. For season two, there’s a major twist: Instead of Block driving the Hoonicorn, it’ll be his 14-year-old daughter, Lia, behind the wheel.

Despite her age, Lia Block is no stranger to driving Ken’s Gymkhana cars. Last year she learned how to drift while behind the wheel of Ken’s 1978 Mk 2 Ford Escort. Now, she’ll be racing against cars such as a Tesla Model S Plaid and one of the world’s fastest Nissan GT-Rs, using the heavily modified ’65 Ford Mustang that originally appeared in Gymkhana 7. The first episode, above, has Lia going up against a 4000-hp Pro Stock Corvette, driven by NHRA driver Alex Laughlin. A number of modifications have been made to the Hoonicorn for season two, including additional bars added to the roll cage and a new halo bucket seat for more driver protection. Paddle shifters and a new set of wheels have also been installed. The car is now wearing an all-new livery from Death Spray Custom that’s meant as a tribute to the original design first launched with the car in 2014. “With the excitement from the fans on Hoonicorn vs. the World season one, we knew it had to come back,” Ken Block said in a statement. “I hadn’t planned to race the Hoonicorn again since my contract with Ford expired at the end of 2020, but at the same time Lia was taking a very serious interest in racing—so, the stars just aligned to make this opportunity happen. So, we got to keep a Block in the Hoonicorn, just a different Block!”
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Porsche in increasing its Paint to Sample availability to more than 160 color options. Exclusive Manufaktur is also offering Paint to Sample Plus, which lets customers choose an even more individual bespoke color. Paint to Sample is now available on every model in Porsche’s lineup and it costs between $11,430 to $12,830 extra. Paint to Sample Plus costs up to $25,660 on GT cars.Porsche’s list of optional extras is already immense, and Porsche says its customers want even more customization possibilities. The company announced earlier this year that it’ll build one-off dream cars from its Sonderwunsch program, and now customers will have even more choices when it comes to colors. Porsche is expanding its Paint to Sample offerings to over 160 colors for its entire lineup, including the Cayenne, Macan, and Taycan.
Porsche says that it is able to expand the Paint to Sample color palette because of a new color mixing bank at its factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany, where it builds the 911 and 718 sports cars and the Taycan electric sedan, which was shown in Rubystar for its 2022 model year updates. Many Paint to Sample colors resurrect historic colors such as Rubystar and Acid Green. Now, Porsche says, its 911 Paint to Sample production will increase from roughly five cars to nearly 20 per day, and this apparently does not increase the time of production.

If none of the new colors are what you desire, Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur will help customers find the perfect match with its Paint to Sample Plus program. It’s available on all Porsche models except for the Cayenne SUV. However, first Porsche needs to put the color through feasibility testing that can take up to 11 months. This can cost anywhere from $22,860 to $25,660 on the 911 Turbo/Turbo S and GT cars, and if the color doesn’t work, Porsche will cover the cost of testing. Paint to Sample specifications are available through Porsche dealers and cost anywhere from $11,430 to $12,830 for Turbo and GT cars. And soon Porsche says that its online configurator, our favorite to play with, will be updated to show Paint to Sample colors.
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Nissan has shared a comprehensive plan for future electric vehicles.Four EV concept cars comprise a pickup truck, a convertible sports car, and two crossovers and preview future electric models.Nissan also says it will be producing solid-state batteries by 2028, which will reduce cost dramatically.Nissan is the latest automaker to share its far-reaching future plans for electric vehicles, and we’re excited to see four new concept cars that give a good idea of some of the 15 new EV models that will arrive by 2030. A small pickup truck called the Surf-Out concept is perhaps the most noteworthy of these, but a convertible sports car called the Max-Out also piqued our interest. A boxy crossover called the Hang-Out is also included, while another small SUV concept called the Chill-Out looks to be the closest to production.

Nissan Surf-Out concept
Nissan

While it’s difficult to gauge the exact dimensions, the Surf-Out appears to be a small pickup truck that could slot into the lineup below the mid-size Frontier. It has a futuristic look with interesting lighting setups front and rear and a minimalist interior with a huge screen spanning the width of the dashboard. Nissan says it has some amount of off-road capability thanks to an e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive setup and it also features some sort of onboard generator.

Nissan Max-Out concept
Nissan

This convertible is the sportiest of the four concepts, with a low-slung stance and an emphasis on performance. Nissan says that it is lightweight and has a low center of gravity. The two seats are configurable and can flatten into the floor to transform the interior space.

Nissan Hang-Out concept
Nissan

This boxy small SUV strikes us as a spiritual successor to the Nissan Cube. It has a low floor and a tall roof, making for a lounge-like, spacious interior. The four seats rotate and move around in several different configurations, including one that creates a movie-theater-like space that appears to use a projector and a giant screen at the rear of the cabin. Like the other concepts, it has an e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive setup and ProPilot driver-assitance technologies.

Nissan Chill-Out concept
Nissan

The least futuristic of the concepts, the Chill-Out appears to foretell a production model that isn’t too far down the road. It looks somewhat like the Ariya but slightly smaller, and Nissan says it rides on the company’s CMF-EV platform. We expect this to arrive sooner rather than later as a subcompact EV crossover slotting in below the Ariya in terms of size and price.Look for more news to come from Nissan in the near future about these big plans for EV models. Other claims include a new battery plant set to open in the U.S. by fiscal year 2025 and for EVs to make up 40 percent of the company’s U.S. sales by fiscal year 2030.
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A just-revealed electric concept car from Swiss “deep tech” company WayRay shows off 3D augmented reality as part of the car’s technology.The car is designed for ride-hailing—someday you may call up an Uber Holograktor instead of an Uber Black—and is mainly a showcase for the holographic technology the company makes.Porsche, Hyundai, and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba are all early investors, WayRay says, and the company is targeting release, possibly with a major automaker, by the end of 2025. We love the sort of outlandish concept cars that treat themselves as high art, and regret that COVID-19 and the general death of the big auto show is increasingly denying us this pleasure. But here is a spectacular example of the genre to lift the late holiday weekend malaise: meet the WayRay Holograktor.

The concept’s purpose is serious: to demonstrate what Swiss company WayRay says is a new holographic windscreen display technology that will allow apparently three-dimensional images to be added to the real world. The angular concept that has been built to preview it, just officially unveiled in Germany, is a spectacular example of the attention-grabbing show car. The design might look as if it has been influenced by the early video games that attempted to render the world in large polygons, but WayRay says it is actually inspired by Russian constructivism, the abstract art movement that created many of the geometric propaganda posters used in the USSR.
“If you have those early Soviet posters in mind, you can see those brightly colored geometric shapes of triangles and blocks,” the Holograktor’s Russia-born designer Sasha Selipanov explains in the official press release—he previously worked for Bugatti, Genesis, and Koenigsegg. “Coincidentally, the triangular form is reminiscent of a prism, like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album cover.” It’s hard not to love any car that cites both The Floyd and Soviet agitprop as its major influences.

WayRay says the Holograktor has been designed to preview a potential ride-hailing future, although not the fully autonomous one that even the makers of far-out concepts no longer regard as being inevitable. In addition to a fold-away steering wheel for the driver it is also designed for remote operation “by a qualified driver using the car’s cameras, radar, mapping and sensor suites.” Despite the Johnny Cab–style mission, the Holograktor’s unspecified EV powertrain is clearly intended to be potent: WayRay claims a 3.9-second zero-to-62-mph time, a 125-mph top speed, and 372 miles of range.
The Holograktor’s primary purpose is to demonstrate WayRay’s augmented-reality holographic displays. These use glass incorporating a transparent photopolymer film which is able to create an apparently three-dimensional image when struck by light generated by compact laser units. The company says that these Deep Reality Displays have a much bigger field of view than existing automotive head-up displays, and also that information can be shown much brighter at different apparent depths ranging between zero and infinity. Working without mirrors means the displays will still work in direct sunlight.
The rear-seat passenger also gets a separate display projected onto a glass screen in front of them from a unit on the concept’s roof the official release describes as “the shrimp.”
When it comes to the question of what the displays will display, things start to get trippy. The Deep Reality Displays are capable of showing driving information, highlighting pedestrian crossings or red stoplights. But WayRay is also predicting a future that includes radically different content, from games, scheduled appointments, and highlighting the proximity of social media contacts to—inevitably—advertising. The company says the system won’t show anything to distract a driver when the car is moving, although passengers will be fair game, but when it is stationary, the images of this metaverse show a world filled with manga-style characters and funky animations. WayRay predicts that immersive AI could ultimately reduce the cost of ride-hailing trips for those who agree to watch the ads roll by. And while many of us will view that as a dystopian nightmare, others are likely to welcome the chance to spend extra time with ever more realistic 3D cat videos, without even having to glance at your phone. WayRay says the display technology is ready for production, either in a street-legal version of the Holograktor, or in conjunction with other automakers.
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For the 50th anniversary of the M brand, which started as BMW Motorsport, BMW will bring back a classic logo for some models as well as 50 old colors including Daytona Violet and Macao Blue.The “BMW Motorsport” emblem puts three specific semicircles in blue, violet, and red around the BMW roundel to represent how the automaker is connected to racing.These new old features will be available by request starting in January, and the first models built with the old logos will come off the line in March.UPDATE 11/27/21, 4 p.m.: In the U.S., BMW will make the newly announced anniversary badging standard on its M division high-performance models including the M3 and M4, and it will be an option on M340i, M440i, and other M models. However, unlike in other markets, vehicles with the M Sport package are not eligible for the historic badging, a BMW spokesperson said today.BMW is bringing back a performance logo from its racing past along with a large number of old-school paint colors to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW Motorsport. The actual anniversary date won’t happen until May 24, 2022, but when you want to look backward, it doesn’t hurt to start early.

BMW

BMW announced this week it will once again offer the classic BMW Motorsport emblem on selected models next year, but you’ll have to be the kind of person who asks for it. First, the new old logo will only be available by request. Second, you will have to buy a new M model. Whatever you choose, only orders for new BMWs placed starting at the end of January 2022 will be able to be outfitted with the new old emblem, and the first cars built with the classic logo will be built starting in March.

The new emblem—inspired by the classic BMW Motorsport logo—will replace the standard blue and white roundel on the vehicle’s front and rear and on the wheel hubs. The BMW Motorsport logo surrounds the brand’s standard logo with blue, violet, and red semicircle lines. This version was first used in 1973 on BMW Motorsport’s racing cars. BMW says the colors represent BMW (blue), racing (red), and the way the two are connected (violet).On top of the trip to the history books for the way its new vehicles will look, BMW said 2022 will be an exciting year. Exactly what that encompasses has not yet been revealed.”We have a great year ahead of us, which will be celebrated with unique product highlights and exciting performances,” said Franciscus van Meel, chairman of the board of management of BMW M, in a statement. “The M has long been considered the strongest letter in the world, and in our company’s anniversary year it is stronger than ever.”

When it comes to exterior paint options, BMW said it will reintroduce what it calls “50 iconic and historically significant BMW M paint finishes” on selected models next year. The list includes Dakar Yellow, Fire Orange, Daytona Violet, Macao Blue, Imola Red, and Frozen Marina Bay Blue. These old paint options will be available on some new options next year, including the first M3 Touring model and the M4 Coupé series.At some point in 2022, BMW will also introduce the successor to the M2, and it will launch the “first electrified high-performance model in the history of BMW M GmbH.”
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If there’s one thing we’d bet no production Rimac Nevera will do, it’s slide around in the mud. Most will be sparingly driven on pavement through perfect weather to local Cars & Coffee events, only to be tucked into climate-controlled garages all other days of the week. The pre-production car you see above is set to be used as a crash test mule for U.S. homologation, so company founder Mate Rimac figured he’d give it a proper sendoff by drifting it around the dirt and mud.

This dark-blue Nevera is Rimac’s first pre-series car, meaning it was the first car to come off the production line. It’s used to make sure everything would go smoothly once production actually kicks off. It’s been put through dozens of track and road tests, as well as customer previews, media drives, and show events. In fact, this was the very Nevera our friends at Road & Track drove for their review.

Rimac

Because the car needs to be crashed to satisfy the U.S.’s homologation rules, Mate thought it a good idea to use the car to put on a show at the build site of the company’s future factory, which is currently just a dirt lot. He doesn’t hold back one bit, pulling off massive slides through the dirt and slinging tons of mud right at the camera. By the end of the day, the whole car was covered. It’s unlikely any future Nevera owner would do this with their own car, so we’re glad Mate was brave enough to have a bit of fun in this one before it’s inevitably driven into a wall at high speed.

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