The BMW 7-Series is smooth, sexy and has an endless array of gadgets and gizmos

At best, some owners of the new BMW 7-Series are going look the friendliest drivers on the road.

At worst, maybe we’ll think they’re just a little bit crazy. Like, “why did that guy in the Beemer just wave at me?” Or “is she trying to swat a wasp on the dash, or what?”

But let me put your mind at rest before you see one. That strange new BMW 7-series driver has paid an extra £160 for an interesting new gadget.

It may mean looking a right knob – but it also means you don’t have to look FOR the right knob, if you get my drift or – even more annoying – the right bit of the screen to tap, tap, tap.

Because you can control the infotainment system with just a wave of the hand while keeping your eyes on the road.

To change the volume, you just waft your fingers over the screen. Another hand movement can be used to reject an incoming phone call.

Gadgets: The 730d has enough gizmos to keep James Bond happy
And I can see even further, more comical potential for this. One finger held in a rude gesture could activate the car’s horn, for example. The gadget show also goes much further than the cabin. From February next year, you’ll be able to order your new 7-Series with a remote parking system.

So if the space you’re aiming for is too narrow for you to easily open the driver’s door, you just get out and use the world’s most sophisticated car key as a remote to drive it in.

The key works like a mini iPhone. My first thought is that if you lost it, BMW would charge you thousands for a new one, but it’s only (only!) £230 for a replacement.

It’s a clever system but I wonder what would happen if you got a lot of mud on one of the car’s camera lenses. Would it drive itself into a wall?

Attention: BMW like to highlight the sportiness of their cars
All this went through my mind as a BMW official driver picked us up at Nice airport in a new long wheelbase LWB 7-Series – and took us to our hotel. As you’d hope, in the back there’s bags of legroom and the ride is comfortable with bumps soaked up by the car’s adaptive suspension.

As with the Mercedes S-Class (and the Rolls-Royce Wraith and Ghost 2) the car uses information from its GPS system and cameras to read the road and adjust the damping for corners and bumps. There’s luxury in the rear and screens to keep you entertained.

For the test, we chose a short wheelbase 730d in M Sport trim. The 3.0-litre diesel will be the most popular choice in the UK, despite worries about the future of diesel cars – the reason being most will be bought by business users who will stick with diesel as long as the sums work out.

At first sight, this £64,530 motor is the best looking 7-Series so far, especially in M Sport trim which means bespoke front and rear bumpers, and side sills, plus some dark chrome here and there.

Inspiration: The 7-Series' adaptive suspension is much like that of the Mercedes S-Class
The sexiest bit is the carbon fibre pillar you see when you open the front doors.

To keep weight low, BMW has used carbon fibre for the B-pillars and elsewhere together with aluminium but the 730d still comes in at 1,770kg.

BMW likes to emphasise the car’s sportiness and how much fun it is to drive but I don’t think a car like the 7-Series needs to be sporty. It needs to be relaxing to drive, effortless, simple to operate, despite the myriad of gadgets and systems, and above all comfortable.

The new 7-Series has a less complicated cabin than the old model with fewer switches and buttons. The engine is almost silent yet has plenty of power. The gearbox is seamlessly smooth and doesn’t need the paddles on the steering wheel. Much better to slap it into D and let the car do the all the work for you.

These luxury motors are not to be bought new. That’s the job of companies, foreign embassies and chauffeur hire companies. They come on to our radars when they’re sub-five-grand clunkers.

You just have to hope all the gadgets still work after 150,000 miles. Or you’ll be waving them goodbye.

Lithium imports crucial for Tesla's Gigafactory in India

Imports of Lithium are crucial for US-based electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors' chief executive Elon Musk's plan to set up a Gigafactory in India, as the country does not have enough reserves of the rare metal to support making of lithium-ion batteries, according to analysts.

Lithium is a rare metal used in manufacturing of batteries to increase their capacity and also helpful in reducing the size of battery boxes compared to other battery technologies.

"From a manufacturing-in-India perspective, the country doesn't have any Lithium deposits, so it is going to be hard. Unless we import Lithium ore, which is available in Bolivia, Argentina and Australia, manufacturing cannot be supported in India," Business Standard quoted Mridula Dixit, principal research scientist, Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), as saying.

However, Australia could become a major source for imports of Lithium ore, as the trade ties between the two nations have improved in the past. India has entered into an agreement with Australia for Uranium supply to its nuclear reactors.

"We are not well-placed in terms of raw materials. The supply chain needs to be worked out. Also, making the batteries requires a very controlled environment," said Dixit, who has extensive exposure to lithium-ion technologies.

"Given India's lack of expertise, I see global manufacturers bringing in their technology and manufacturing processes first, in the next five to 10 years; only after that would we be able to have local players gaining expertise and beginning to manufacture in India" Dixit added.

Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, has recently hinted at setting up a Gigafactory in India to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, taking into the problem of power shortage in the rural areas of the country, which holds a huge potential for such batteries.

During his visit to the US in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held discussions with Musk at the Tesla campus in Silicon Valley on the potential of having a battery making facility and other renewable energy technologies in India.

Tarun Mehta, co-founder of Ather Energy, an electric vehicle start-up, sees the necessity to have  hundreds of Gigafactories in the country, as lithium-ion batteries can "compete with lead acid batteries in cost."

"One Gigafactory can produce just enough cells for half a million Tesla cars. Globally, we produce 65 million cars and a lot more two-wheelers. If all of them were to go electric over the next decade or two, you are looking at 100-plus Gigafactories at least," said Mehta.

Rolls-Royce share price plunges after latest profit warning

Rolls-Royce’s share price plunged more than 20% after the British engine maker issued its fourth profit warning in just over a year.

The company pointed to a sharp drop in the number of corporate jets powered by Rolls-Royce engines in the third quarter, while demand for other corporate jet services also weakened.


Rolls-Royce makes further 400 job cuts at marine operation
 Read more
The company now expects profit “headwinds” of £650m next year, more than double the £300m cut to profit identified in July.

The company’s shares plummeted 21% to 527p in early trading.

Rolls-Royce also announced on Thursday a major restructuring programme for next year to reduce fixed costs, streamline senior management and improve decision-making, all aimed at saving up to £200m a year.

Chief executive Warren East, who took over from John Rishton in July, said: “While 2015 remains broadly as expected, the outlook for 2016 is very challenging. The speed and magnitude of change in some of our markets, which have historically performed well, has been significant and shows how sensitive parts of our business are to market conditions in the short-term.”

The engine maker’s fortunes turned after a decade of rising sales, leading to a series of profit warnings from early last year. Annual profits more than halved in July.

The Derby-based group has already announced it is cutting more than 3,000 jobs in its aerospace and marine arms. This includes closing factories in Ansty in Warwickshire, England, and East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Kevin Magnussen makes Porsche 919 Hybrid test debut

Kevin Magnussen has completed his first laps in the Porsche 919 Hybrid, during the first day of a two-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The 23-year-old Dane, who was left sidelined for 2015 following his rookie season in Formula One with McLaren, hailed the car’s technology.

“It was really good. It is the first race car I drive for about six or seven months and it’s an amazing car with amazing power,” Magnussen said.

“It is easy to feel that this probably is the most advanced race car in the world at the moment. I can’t wait to get back in.”

Magnussen has only raced once this year, when he was due to start the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but his McLaren-Honda ground to a halt before he even made the start.

He admitted there were a number of things he’d need to improve upon further tests.

“I have a few things to work on, getting on top of braking, especially,” he said. “As you can’t see the front wheels here you really don’t know when you’re locking up, so this is something to get used to and also visibility is a bit less compared to a single seater.

“So a few things to get used to but the first impression is really good and I enjoyed it a lot.”

Alexander Wurz announces retirement

Magnussen is joined by Oliver Turvey and Mitch Evans, both of whom have driven for Jota Sport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for this two-day test.

Turvey also was impressed with the Porsche, especially having had a sports car point of reference in stepping up from an LMP2 Gibson 015S Nissan into an LMP1 car.

“It is phenomenal to drive the Porsche 919 Hybrid,” he said. “It’s really impressive the amount of power the car has out of the corners from the combustion engine and the hybrid system.

“It is phenomenal when the boost comes in and the front wheels are using it. It is an amazing car to drive.”

Evans, too, was thrilled with the car’s performance.

“I’m not used to power steering, not used to this type of tire, the extra weight is something and I never raced a four-wheel drive car,” he said. “But the handling is quite straightforward.

“The main thing I found is the acceleration from the hybrid. It’s really impressive!”

Porsche is expected to have a third seat open in its third car for next year’s Le Mans, owing to Nico Hulkenberg’s clash with the European Grand Prix in Baku.

Aston Martin Gets Performance Break for 6H Bahrain

Aston Martin will return to its original 2015 technical configuration in next weekend’s FIA WEC season-ending Six Hours of Bahrain following the final round of Balance of Performance adjustments handed down by the FIA Endurance Committee last week.

Both GTE-Pro and GTE-Am Aston Martin Vantage V8s will receive a 0.3 mm larger air restrictor, bringing it back to the original 29.1 mm (x2) size it had started the season with.

Additionally, the Aston Martin and both 991 and 997-based Porsche models in GTE-Am have received a 5 kg minimum weight increase for the Bahrain round. The weight changes do not apply in GTE-Pro.

The restrictor adjustment  comes in the wake of the Young Driver AMR squad-backed No. 95 Aston Martin withdrawing from the Shanghai round over BoP concerns. The all-Danish driven car is currently listed to compete in Bahrain.

Bentley Bentayga; The Crossover Meant To Knock Your Shorts off

Inflation is a thing of the past or so it seems with Bentley’s new $185,000 addition to their already extravagant fleet. With its attention to detail and price tag that puts a dent in even the most deepest of wallets; the Bentley Bentayga is undoubtedly the epitome of class, comfort, and speed all in one. This particular Bentley with its power and prestige is surely in a class of its own, but it might face probable future competition from Rolls Royce and Aston Martin after its release in 2016.

In regards to design, with its wide front lights and a grill ready to gobble down anything that stands in its way, the Bentley Bentayga is nothing short of savage. Sang Yup Lee’s (lead designer) attention to detail is staggeringly obvious, as the whole car looks like its hell bent for a speedy highway. The beautiful seams on the sides and the ‘B’ logo on the side vents make it look absolutely breathtaking. The exhausts are big and lofty and look vicious enough to support a jet fighter. All of this justified by its sheer size, compared to other examples in Bentley’s niche portfolio.

The Bentley Bentayga rests on a 117.8 inch wheelbase, with a first of its kind aluminum castings in a structural role that hold the front air springs, D- pillars, rear suspension and front bumper, making it lighter than the Mulsanne by at least 700 pounds.

BMW Motorrad reveals experimental eRR electric superbike

BMW has flagged its ambition to move beyond the C Evolution scooter and enter the top class of electric motorcycles with a battery powered alternate to its S 1000 RR superbike – the experimental eRR.

 Green e-power and the unmistakable RR of the BMW eRR The race-worthy carbon tail section of the BMW eRR In the beginning there was the S 1000 RR, now we also have the eRR Carbon S 1000 RR fairings hide the eRR's electric drivetrain
BMW has never been one to shy away from technological evolution, and when it comes to electric mobility the company is making a strong foray on the car front with the i3 electric town car and the sporty i8.

In the motorcycle sector BMW Motorrad rolled out the C Evolution scooter in 2014, equipped with an all-electric drivetrain and modeled after the C 650 scooter family. In similar fashion to the way the i8 evolved in its automobile division, BMW has now revealed a high-end electric sport bike that is based on the looks and running gear of the S 1000 RR superbike.

While technical details won't be revealed until "a later date," BMW says the experimental vehicle is designed to investigate the possibilities of applying an electric power source to a sport bike. Whether this means there is a production version in the near future remains to be seen – perhaps as soon as next week at EICMA in Milan.


"Since its market launch, the RR is giving the creeps to motorsport athletes," says Stephan Schaller, Head of BMW Motorrad. "In acceleration, handling or top speed the RR is setting standards. However, if acceleration on the first meters up to 50-60 km/h, is the point, the RR's 199 bhp have to admit defeat by another BMW product: the C evolution with its electric drive. We asked ourselves: What happens when combining a sport motorcycle and an electric drive? The experimental vehicle eRR brings the topic of zero emissions and electric drive on a new, more fascinating level."

In USA there are several motorcycle manufacturers with electric sport bikes in production. The Lightning LS-218 blew us away when we rode it earlier this year and there's more than enough electric racers going around to fill the starting grid in the Isle of Man TT Zero, spearheaded by Victory Motorcycles' very competitive debut in 2015. Honda appears to be close to developing a strong package with its Mugen electric superbike that has dominated TT Zero the last two years, while European factories have yet to enter this field.

This is a solid chance for BMW to become an early adopter, the first among European mainstream manufacturers to mass produce an electric sport bike. We wouldn't bet against a German racing team at the TT Zero in the near future, either.

We'll be on the floor at EICMA next week to bring you further details of the eRR as they are revealed.

Made-in-India BMW G310R Revealed

BMW Motorrad gave us a glimpse into its 300cc bike with the G310 Stunt Concept and we've given you all the details on that. The company, today, finally revealed its smallest capacity bike - the BMW G310R, which will be built in India at TVS Motor Company's Bengaluru plant. The bike has been completely designed and engineered by BMW in Munich, Germany and this one has been built solely to increase the company's global market share.
This is a big boost for the Indian market as well, as this will be the first bike from the BMW Motorrard stable to be manufactured outside of Europe and that's how much confidence the German manufacturer has in this country. All the equipment at the plant has been shipped from Germany and the workforce too has received extensive training to bring the quality level at par with international standards.

The G310 R is designed to be the basis for a family of bikes and there will be a half faired and adventure' bike versions which will be seen in the market soon. This is the smallest capacity of all the BMW's currently on sale.

BMW G310 R
Ofcourse there was the R24 but the year was 1948 and that's a long time ago. Though small, its design is as modern as it comes. You can see the connection between the BMW S1000R and R1200R in terms of the styling and this is where BMW wins you over. Yes, there is a hint of the Bajaj Pulsar in the look too, but that's one aspect that can be completely overlooked. But it shows its roots when you see the angular side panels, which are almost identical to those on the S1000R while the headlamp and small shroud which have a bit of R1200R in them.

But it's the engine that will be the most talked about part of the G310R and that is because it's a 313cc, single-cylinder, four-valve liquid-cooled engine, with double overhead camshafts and fuel injection. The engine has been designed to work across the globe and with all sorts of fuel quality. According to the folks at BMW Motorrad, the engine produces 34bhp at 9500rpm and 28Nm of torque at 7500rpm.

BMW G310R
The engine design sees the cylinder head twisted around by 180-degrees but the cylinder is also canted backwards. According to the people at BMW, the advantages are both in allowing a straight pathway for the fuel and air mixture into the engine but also in the general architecture of the bike with a lower centre of gravity and allow for a longer swingarm and therefore more stable handling.

There is also some technology lifted straight from the S1000RR engine which punches out 200bhp and that is the Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) on the rocker arms. This helps in reducing friction.

Also Read: BMW Motorrad Reveals eRR Electric Supersport Bike

The G310R is built with tubular steel to keep costs down and benefits from a long swingarm for handling stability. In terms of suspension, the new G 310 R has a torsionally stiff, highly robust tubular steel frame in grid structure with bolt-on rear frame. The front wheel suspension is taken care of by a solid upside-down fork while at the rear there is an aluminium swinging arm in conjunction with a spring strut that is mounted on it directly. The wheelbase is 1374mm and BMW has used the lightweight but strong five-spoke 17-ichn wheels which add to the big bike look of the G310R.

BMW G310R
Like all BMW motorcycles, the new G 310 R is fitted with ABS as standard. It combines a powerful brake system with 2-channel ABS. At the front wheel, a single-disc brake with radially bolted 4-piston fixed caliper and a brake disc diameter of 300 millimetres ensures powerful and stable deceleration. At the rear, this function is performed by a 2-piston floating caliper in conjunction with a 240-millimetre brake disc. The G 310 R instrument cluster has a large liquid crystal display that offers excellent clarity and a wide range of information.

The bike will be launched in India soon but BMW targets the global markets with the G310R and that's why India will become an export hub for the company. It plans to sell 2 lakh bikes every year and the G310R will play a significant role in achieving that target. When launched in India, the G310R will go up against the KTM Duke 390 and Kawasaki Z250, so expect the price range to be similar to these bikes.

Mercedes teases an all-new SL before its LA Auto Show debut

The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class has been around since 1954, when the automaker debuted the gullwing-door 300 SL. Over seven generations, Merc's flagship coupe has been revised over and over, and we're about to feast our eyes on yet another sea change in the car's design. The Stuttgart-based company couldn't keep its excitement under lock and key, so it's dropped a teaser before the car's debut at next week's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The only picture released is a dark one, and it only shows the front end, but there's plenty of information in that single shot (click on it above to enlarge). Mercedes has once again altered the SL's headlights, bringing it in line with the brand's other new vehicles, including the S-Class Coupe, C-Class and the AMG GT sports car.

The grille and air intakes have been revised, as well, featuring the "diamond" pattern seen on the S-Class coupe and A-Class hatchback (the US doesn't get the latter). The hood looks like it's received a couple tweaks, as well. As one would expect, the Mercedes logo is as prominent as ever.

Mercedes is changing its taxonomic structure around a bit, but the SL's nameplate is here to stay. It should be the SLS, as all roadsters now start with SL, followed by a letter that denotes the vehicle's position in the lineup. However, SLS was already used on an earlier sports car, and Mercedes deemed the name's heritage worthy of bypassing any additional badging changes.

The automaker's LA Auto Show press conference takes place on Wednesday, November 18, from 12:05 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. PT.