BMW’s display at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show will be electrifying—or at least, electrified. The biggest auto show on the west coast runs from November 17 to 28, 2016 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will feature selections from the BMW family of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. In BMWspeak, that means the BMW i and iPerformance cars and sports activity vehicles.
Leading the BMW presence will be the BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance, BMW’s flagship plug-in hybrid model. The ultimate in comfort and zero emissions, the 740e integrates an electric motor with its two-liter inline, four-cylinder turbocharged engine and eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. Total output is 322 horsepower and the optimistic city/highway electric/gasoline fuel mileage is said by the EPA to be 64MPGe. It can travel up to 87 miles per hour in electric only eDrive for up to 14 miles for those quick errands around town.
The 740e benefits from the same lighter and stronger Carbon Core structure as all the other G11/G12 7 Series Sedans. BMW’s top-of-the-line plug-in hybrid sedan is available now in the U.S. with a base price of $90,095, including Destination and Handling.
Next up is the BMW 330e iPerformance, the plug-in hybrid version of BMW’s mainstay sport sedan. This car has a similar drivetrain layout to it’s larger 7 Series sibling. A two-liter, inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine—which has twice won the International Engine of the Year award—is mated to an electric motor before sending a total of 248 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. Top speed is 140 miles per hour and on the way, it gets from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. Combined fuel economy is EPA-rated at 71 MPGe. Gasoline fuel mileage is unlimited if the car stays in eDrive, where it can motor up to 14 miles on electricity alone.
The 2016 BMW 330e iPerformance is available in U.S. dealerships with a base MSRP of $45,095 including Destination and Handling.
A two-liter TwinPower Turbo inline four-cylinder engine with an integrated electric motor between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission powers the BMW X5 xDrive40e iPerformance. It can also do 14 miles on battery power alone. Its 308 total horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque mean the X5 40e can take the three-ton Sports Activity Vehicle from zero to 60 in only 6.5 seconds.
The X5 40e features BMW’s xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system and has been for sale in dealerships for a while now. Base price including Destination and Handling is $63,095.
We have been looking at it for a couple of years now, but it never gets old. BMW’s halo car, the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, will be on the BMW stand in LA. It may seem a little lonesome, but that may only last for another year or two. BMW says that it will be joined by an i8 Roadster or Spyder model, possibly as early as model year 2018.
BMW is bringing a slew of other significant vehicles. The BMW 2 Series will be on hand with the latest generation of BMW TwinPower Turbo four- and six-cylinder inline engines. For example, the BMW 230i Coupe and BMW 230i Convertible will be there with a two-liter four-cylinder engine with 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The BMW 230i Coupe starts at $33,845 and the BMW 230i Convertible begins at $39,645, both including Destination and Handling.
Long-time BMW tuner Alpina takes regular BMWs, develops new components to make them faster or more specialized, and then sells them through BMW’s normal dealer networks. One of the newest Alpina models is available in the U.S. and will be at Los Angeles. The 2017 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive blends 7 Series ultimate luxury with advanced Alpina suspension and chassis technology
The BMW ALPINA B7 xDrive includes Integral Active Steering for the first time, combining a variable ratio electric steering system at the front axle with active steering on the rear axle for increased agility and dynamic handling. The Alpina B7 is propelled by a 600-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 engine producing 590 pound-feet of torque. It approaches supercar—or at least super-sedan—territory with a 3.6-second zero-to-60 time.
The BMW Alpina B7 xDrive Sedan is available in the U.S. for $137,995 and the BMW Alpina B6 Gran Coupe starts at $123,495, both including Destination and Handling.
The closest thing we have to an M7 is the 2017 BMW M760i xDrive. This car has the first BMW V8 gasoline engine integrating M Performance TwinPower Turbo technology. It produces 601 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. All that power will move the M760i from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 miles per hour.
It’s not just fast and powerful. The M760i comes with all the other advanced comfort and driver assistance technology for which the G11/G12 BMW 7 Series Sedans have become famous. These include: Active Driving Assistance Plus, Lane Departure Warning, Daytime Pedestrian Protection, Blind Spot Detection, Active Lane Keeping Assistant with side collision avoidance, Rear Collision Warning, Frontal Collision Warning with City Collision Mitigation, and Traffic Jam Assistant, as well as the BMW iDrive system featuring Gesture Control. The BMW M760i xDrive will arrive in the U.S. early next year, with pricing announced as we get closer to launch.
Not a car, but another award-winning BMW-designed vehicle will be at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Rather than award-winning, we should say medal winning. It’s the Paralympic racing wheelchair that members of Team USA sped to seven medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. BMW of North America, as the official mobility partner of the United States Olympic Committee, collaborated with the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team to develop, design, and engineer a racing wheelchair that uses much of the same principles as BMW Group vehicles. The wheelchair has modernized aerodynamic efficiencies, carbon fiber material, a complete chassis redesign, and a personalized approach for customized athlete fit.
On November 15, BMW Group will announce an expansion of ReachNow, the BMW car-sharing service currently available in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and to and from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. BMW had previously said that eventually, ten North American metro areas would be served by ReachNow. It sounds like BMW is ready to announce some of those cities at the LA Show.
BMW’s future includes electrified cars, performance cars, luxury cars, useful cars, plus cars that have more than one—and possibly all—of these attributes. Examples of all of these will be in Los Angeles November 17–28.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
