bmw

U.S. sales of quirky 5-series GT disappoint BMW

BMW's 5-series Gran Turismo was meant to be a stylish alternative to minivans and crossovers when it debuted in November 2009. But sales of the tall, quirky five-door have been disappointing.

Now, BMW of North America CEO Jim O'Donnell says he wishes the company hadn't stopped selling the 5-series wagon in the United States last year. BMW had expected the 5-series GT to attract those wagon buyers, but the GT is luring owners of the more-expensive 7-series sedan instead.

"The disappointment I have is that I thought a lot of our 5-series station wagon customers would … Read more

Bury device reads BlackBerry e-mails to you

BMW may be the only current manufacturer to offer an infotainment system that reads your BlackBerry e-mails to you, but an aftermarket device offers that same capability without the $50,000 investment.

The Bury CC 9060 IQ is a voice-activated touch-screen device that you attach to your car's dashboard. The CC 9060 IQ works with several smartphones, offering hands-free calling and memo recording functionality.

With some phones, the device offers text-to-speech capability, reading text messages back to you. And if you're using a BlackBerry, the Bury CC 9060 IQ can read your e-mails out loud.

Drivers juggling more … Read more

This Day in Tech: More rumors about the next iPhone

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, May 18.

Neat trick: Wireless laptop dock Samsung's Central Station senses your computer is nearby and--without any silly, tangled cords--connects to it wirelessly. Ain't that cool? Seriously, it's the little things in life that bring CNET editors joy. Read the full review

WritePad 5 buddies up with Evernote for app marriage New WritePad 5 app for iPad, Android adds ability to sync with another popular app, Evernote. Marriage points to future where unrelated apps from diverse … Read more

Fiat wins, but BMW sweeps engine awards

At the 2011 International Engine awards, Fiat's little 875cc TwinAir engine won three categories and took home the overall 2011 International Engine of the Year award. BMW took four categories with four different engines, while Audi, Ferrari, and Volkswagen each made good showings.

Fiat's engine ekes 85 horsepower from two cylinders using a turbocharger, and only produces 95 grams per kilometer of CO2. Fiat uses the engine in its 500 model, but U.S. versions of that car are likely to get the 1.4-liter Multiair engine.

Here are the various categories, with their respective winners:

2011 International … Read more

BMW ActiveE home charging supplier also powers Leaf, Volt

To power its upcoming test fleet of electric vehicles, BMW announced AeroVironment as the preferred supplier and installer for the ActiveE's 240-volt home charging dock.

Based on the 1-Series, the BMW ActiveE has a 32-kWh lithium ion battery pack that provides a 100-mile range. The AeroVironment EVSE-RS charging station uses the industry standard SAE J1772 connector to deliver approximately 25 miles of driving range per hour of charging time. Using the EVSE-RS charger, a completely drained battery can be fully recharged in 4 to 5 hours.

BMWs aren't the only electric cars the EVSE-RS can charge--AeroVironment's weather-proof … Read more

BMW makes left turns safe

BMW is developing new technology to make left turns safer. The German Federal Statistical Office cites left and U-turns as the leading cause of accidents on German roads.

The Left Turn Assistant uses GPS and a camera to determine if the driver is about to make a left turn. BMW says its GPS system can pinpoint the car to within a meter of its actual location, and so determine if it is in a left turn lane. A camera on the car is also set to identify left turn markings in the road.

The fact that the system does not … Read more

BMW Connected iPhone app gets Pandora

Add Pandora to the list of apps that BMW has integrated with its 2011 and 2012 models. The latest version BMW's Connected iPhone app makes it possible for drivers to view and control the streaming music service in the car using the iDrive system.

Using their iPhone to integrate Pandora and supply the Internet data connection, BMW owners will be able to view and interact with the music app on the in-dash display using the iDrive controller or steering wheel buttons. Almost all of Pandora's features are available and functionality includes accessing existing stations, creating new stations, thumbing-up or thumbing-down tracks, and bookmarking songs. Pretty much the only thing you won't be able to do is buy music.

The new feature is available on all 2011 BMW models built after March and equipped with the $250 BMW apps option. To use Pandora in the car, BMW owners need to download the latest version of the BMW Connected and Pandora apps from the iTunes store. Unlike Toyota's Entune platform, the pairing doesn't work using a Bluetooth connection--users must link the phone using the USB cable or the optional snap-in adapter in the center armrest. Pandora joins Twitter and Facebook as the third app that BMW Connected supports. … Read more

Car Tech Live 212: New York International Auto Show edition (podcast)

Our favorites from the New York auto show; BMW, Google, and the U.S. make electric car moves this week; Chevy recalls the Cruze after one very high-profile screwup; and we take a spin the electric Smart car.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 212 SHOW NOTES

• CNET's New York auto show roundup

• Download BMW Evolve app to see if an electric car is right for you

• U.S./Google map of places to fuel your alternative energy car

• PSCars.com graphical all-car configurator

• 2011 Chevy Cruze loses steering wheel, let's hold our horses.… Read more

Nissan Leaf named World Car of 2011

As a herald of an electric-car future, jurors for the World Car Awards named the Nissan Leaf as the 2011 World Car. The New York auto show is the yearly venue for the announcement, which also includes awards for performance, design, and environmentalism.

That latter category, the World Green Car, went to the Chevy Volt this year. The Nissan Leaf was a runner-up for the Green award.

The top three competitors for the World Car Award were the Nissan Leaf, Audi A8, and BMW 5-series. The jurors commented that "The Leaf is the gateway to a brave new electric … Read more

2011 New York auto show: Day one roundup

At the tail end of the international auto show season, automakers still have a few tricks up their sleeves, new models and concepts to unveil at the 2011 New York auto show. Many small cars got significant updates during the first day of the show, and more efficient engines entered the mix.

Check out our first day's coverage of the 2011 New York auto show.

2013 Ford Taurus gets two efficient engine options

Ford unwraps the 2013 Taurus SHO

2012 Volkswagen Beetle (photos)

2012 Nissan Versa (photos)

2012 Honda Civic Hybrid gets 44 mpg (photos)

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 (photos)… Read more