News

BMW’s Secret Weapon in the EV Era Is Still an Engine Plant in England

In an industry racing headlong toward batteries, silicon, and kilowatts, BMW is quietly doing something radical: perfecting the internal-combustion engine.

While headlines fixate on EV sales charts, BMW Group’s Hams Hall engine plant near Birmingham has just crossed a milestone that matters far more to driving enthusiasts—25 years of building engines that still make cars feel alive. Since 2001, more than 7.6 million engines have left this unassuming factory, powering everything from humble MINIs to the kind of Rolls-Royces that glide rather than drive.

And no, these aren’t museum pieces. They’re modern, turbocharged, emissions-scrubbed, hybrid-ready combustion engines that prove ICE tech still has meaningful evolution left in it.

The Beating Heart of BMW’s “Technology-Open” Strategy

BMW likes to talk about being “technology-open,” which in plain English means:
We’ll build EVs—but we’re not throwing away engines that still outperform them in the real world.

Hams Hall is the backbone of that strategy.

This single UK plant builds:

  • Three- and four-cylinder turbo petrol engines for BMW and MINI
  • V8s for BMW’s high-performance lineup
  • And the last production V12 on Earth, built exclusively for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Yes—the V12 still lives, and it’s hand-assembled by specialist technicians before being shipped to Goodwood, where Rolls-Royce installs it into cars that cost more than a house. That alone makes Hams Hall a kind of mechanical sanctuary in a disposable digital age.

Old-School Power, New-School Intelligence

What makes Hams Hall special isn’t nostalgia—it’s how modern it is.

BMW has transformed the entire factory into a fully connected digital twin. Every machine, robot, and production cell is mirrored in software. Every vibration, temperature spike, and torque setting is logged in real time. Engineers don’t guess—they simulate, predict, and optimize before problems ever occur.

And then there’s SpOTTO.

Yes, that’s a robot dog.

Developed by Boston Dynamics (as “Spot”), SpOTTO patrols the plant using cameras, microphones, and thermal sensors, scanning machines for faults, leaks, and wear. It feeds all that data into BMW’s digital systems, turning Hams Hall into something closer to a living organism than a factory.

The name isn’t random either. SpOTTO honors Gustav Otto—the man whose father invented the four-stroke engine. That’s about as poetic as industrial automation gets.

A Factory That Got Greener Without Getting Slower

Here’s the part no one expects from an engine plant: it’s one of BMW’s cleanest.

Since full production began, Hams Hall has reduced its energy use per engine by 61%. Despite building far more engines today than it did 20 years ago, the site uses roughly the same total energy. All externally sourced electricity now comes from renewables, and natural-gas consumption has been steadily cut.

In other words, BMW didn’t wait for EVs to go green—it cleaned up combustion itself.

That matters, because for the next decade at least, most BMWs will still be powered by engines. Making those engines cleaner and more efficient is just as important as selling EVs.

From i8 Three-Cylinders to Twin-Turbo V12s

Hams Hall’s résumé reads like a BMW highlight reel:

  • In 2001, it launched series production using Valvetronic, BMW’s throttle-less variable-lift valve system
  • In 2006, it began building engines for MINI
  • In 2013, it became the exclusive producer of the three-cylinder engine for the BMW i8, one of the most technically advanced sports cars of its era
  • In 2022, it took over V8 and V12 production, cementing its status as BMW’s combustion crown jewel

Few factories on Earth can go from eco-hybrid triple-cylinders to twelve-cylinder luxury engines under the same roof. Hams Hall does it daily.

Why This Matters in 2026

BMW could have walked away from combustion. Many brands are trying to.

Instead, it doubled down.

By investing in places like Hams Hall—alongside massive EV facilities in Austria, Germany, and China—BMW has positioned itself to win no matter which way the market swings. If EV adoption stalls? BMW has world-class engines. If hybrids dominate? Hams Hall supplies them. If luxury buyers demand V12s? BMW still builds them.

That’s not hedging. That’s engineering confidence.

And as long as places like Hams Hall exist, the idea that the internal-combustion engine is “obsolete” remains what it’s always been:

A misunderstanding of just how good these machines have become.

Source: BMW

NEW CARS

Bluebird Aero: How a Jet-Powered Featherweight Is Chasing Britain’s Next Speed Record

There’s something deeply British about trying to go absurdly fast in something that looks like it escaped from a kid’s downhill derby. The Bluebird Aero is exactly that kind of beautifully unhinged machine: a jet-powered, composite-tubbed, 47-kilogram projectile built by a tiny team of engineers who think 100 mph is a reasonable target for something that barely weighs more than a sack of cement.

This is not a car in the way we normally use the word. It has no engine in the traditional sense, no drivetrain, no gears, and no illusions about being practical. It’s a land-speed record weapon, inspired by the legendary Bluebird machines of Malcolm and Donald Campbell, scaled down to soapbox size but infused with aerospace thinking.

At the center of it all is Russell Annison, a veteran of the Bloodhound land-speed-record project and a former Lola wind-tunnel specialist. Alongside CAD wizard and driver Matt Sadler and brakes guru Adam Rogers, Annison has created something that looks simple but is anything but. The Aero’s carbon-fiber and aluminum-honeycomb monocoque traces its lineage directly back to a Lola gravity racer built for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013. That car was all about minimal drag, and the Aero inherits that obsession.

With a drag coefficient of just 0.22 and an ultra-small frontal area, the Bluebird Aero cheats the air like a racing bullet. Which is a good thing, because its propulsion comes from something equally ridiculous: a 2.8-kilogram gas-turbine jet engine built by JetCat, a German firm better known for powering radio-controlled model aircraft. Spinning at up to 123,000 rpm and delivering 17 kilograms of thrust, the little turbine fires a 700-mph jet stream out the back. It’s loud, violent, and wildly inappropriate—and that’s the point.

In May 2024, Annison strapped himself into the Aero and set a record at 55 mph for a prototype dual-propulsion electric-and-jet vehicle. Even more impressive than the number was the way it got there: the car was still accelerating after the jet was shut down, proof that the aero efficiency is doing some of the heavy lifting.

Now the team wants nearly double the speed. With new 3D-printed dive planes increasing front-end downforce under braking, Annison believes the power is already there for a near-100-mph run. The real enemies now are stability and tires. Yes—tires. The Aero currently rides on Schwalbe bicycle rubber, which is very good at being round but not so great at being asked to survive speeds normally reserved for highway traffic.

Under the skin, the Aero is an engineering jewel box. The bicycle-sourced disc brakes are water-spray cooled. The fuel tank is a bespoke welded aluminum unit. The low-pressure fuel system is designed specifically to reduce fire risk in what is, essentially, a rolling jet engine wrapped in carbon fiber.

If everything aligns, the team hopes to make another run in May—exactly two years after their last record. That timing isn’t accidental. It would coincide with the long-awaited return of Donald Campbell’s restored Bluebird K7 jet hydroplane to Coniston Water, the site of his fatal 1967 attempt to exceed 300 mph. In other words, it would be a week where British speed history gets a very loud encore.

But the Bluebird Aero isn’t just about one team grabbing one number. Annison wants to turn this into a competition. His goal is to challenge students and young engineers to build their own rival micro-record cars and go after the mark. The Aero itself already travels to schools as a rolling STEM ambassador—a 100-mph physics lesson with a jet engine.

In an era when the car industry is increasingly about software, subscriptions, and sterile efficiency, the Bluebird Aero is a reminder of something more visceral: speed as a pure engineering problem. How light can you go? How clean can you slice the air? And how fast can you make something that, on paper, shouldn’t even exist?

A 100-mph soapbox shouldn’t make sense. That’s exactly why it does.

Source: Autocar

News

BMW’s Last Great Gasoline Act Before Neue Klasse Rewrites the Script

BMW is standing at the edge of its biggest philosophical pivot since it stopped pretending the E46 didn’t peak civilization. The company’s upcoming Neue Klasse platform promises an EV-first architecture, software-defined interiors, and a visual reboot bold enough to make the current 4-Series grille look timid. Progress, in other words. Necessary progress.

But while Munich is busy architecting its electric future, the best versions of BMW’s gasoline past are quietly on sale right now.

And if you care about how BMWs feel—how they steer, rev, and breathe—this moment matters more than you think.

The 3- and 4-Series: Peak Modern BMW

The current G20 3-Series and its 4-Series siblings represent something rare in the auto industry: a fully developed platform at the end of its life cycle. Everything has been optimized. The bugs are gone. The engines are sorted. The chassis tuning has been sharpened.

The 330i remains one of the best entry-luxury sedans in the business because it still follows the BMW playbook: rear-drive balance, a turbocharged four that actually likes to rev, and steering that gives you more information than a Tesla’s screen ever will.

But the real hero here is the M340i. BMW’s B58 inline-six is one of those engines engineers will still talk about in 20 years, right alongside the M54 and N52. It’s smooth, brutally quick, and shockingly durable for something making this much power. The M340i is that rare car that feels equally happy demolishing highway on-ramps or hauling groceries without making either task feel silly.

The 4-Series cars—coupe, Gran Coupe, and convertible—bring the same mechanical excellence, just wrapped in styling that looks like BMW tried to annoy half the internet on purpose. And somehow, it worked.

The M3 and M4: The Last of a Breed

The G80 M3 and G82 M4 may go down in history as the final truly traditional M cars. Yes, they’re turbocharged. Yes, they’re packed with electronics. But crucially, you can still buy them with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual—two features that feel increasingly endangered in 2026.

The S58 inline-six is a monster. But more importantly, these cars still feel mechanical. You sense the drivetrain working beneath you. You feel the weight transfer. You manage traction rather than letting software do it for you.

Electrification is coming to M cars. BMW has already said as much. Hybrid systems will bring more power, more torque, and more mass. All impressive. All inevitable. And all guaranteed to change the way these cars feel.

Right now, an M3 or M4 is already hilariously fast on public roads. The next generation will likely be even more so. But when half throttle sends you into triple-digit speeds, something gets lost in translation. The current cars may end up being remembered as the sweet spot—when absurd performance still came with usable, tactile engagement.

The M240i: A Hidden Gem Before It Disappears

In a lineup increasingly dominated by SUVs and EVs, the M240i almost feels like BMW forgot to cancel it.

It’s compact. It’s rear-drive based. It has a B58 inline-six. And it costs about $15,000 less than an M2 while delivering 90 percent of the experience.

This is the kind of car BMW built its reputation on: small, fast, and unapologetically driver-focused. As the brand moves toward scalable EV platforms and global efficiency targets, niche combustion coupes like this become increasingly difficult to justify.

If you want a modern BMW that feels like an old BMW, the M240i might be your last affordable ticket.

SUVs Are Changing Too

BMW’s SUVs aren’t immune to the coming shift. The current X5 sits at a perfect crossroads—refined, powerful, and loaded with internal-combustion options that range from silky six-cylinders to thunderous V8s.

The next X5, influenced by Neue Klasse thinking, will be far more electrified and far more digital. BMW says it’ll offer gas, hybrid, hydrogen, and EV versions—but the personality of the vehicle is going to change dramatically.

Then there’s the Alpina XB7, which currently exists in a glorious niche of subtle luxury and boosted V8 madness. With nearly 900 horsepower on the horizon and electrification looming, the next iteration won’t just be faster—it will be fundamentally different.

Even the Z4 Is Fading Away

The Z4 M40i is almost comically old-school by modern standards: a two-seat roadster, a straight-six, rear-wheel drive, and iDrive 7 instead of a wall of screens.

And it’s nearly gone.

Production is winding down, and there’s no clear EV successor waiting in the wings. Low-volume gas sports cars are becoming regulatory liabilities, and electric roadsters remain a commercial question mark. When the Z4 exits, it will take a whole philosophy with it.

The End of an Era

Neue Klasse will bring efficiency, performance, and technological leaps that make today’s BMWs look quaint. But it will also close a chapter.

BMW built its reputation on engines—inline-sixes that felt like precision instruments, and drivetrains that made you want to drive longer just for the hell of it. The electric future may be faster. It may be cleaner. It will almost certainly be smarter.

But it won’t feel like this.

The last of BMW’s old-school greatness is sitting on dealer lots right now, quietly waiting for buyers who still care about how a car makes them feel. If that’s you, the clock is ticking.

Source: BMW

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