Tag Archives: BMW

NEW CARS

BMW Can’t Decide How Bold Its M5 Facelift Should Be—and That Might Be a Good Thing

BMW usually plays its Life Cycle Impulse cards close to the chest. Minor tweaks here, a lighting signature there, and done. But the facelifted M5 appears to be breaking that tradition—and not subtly. Since March 2025, when the first spy shots of an updated M5 surfaced, BMW has been testing not one but two noticeably different design directions for its super sedan, all while the current G90-generation car is still barely warmed up.

That alone raised eyebrows. Testing a facelift just months after customer deliveries begin is unusual, even by BMW standards. But the real surprise came later, when a second prototype appeared wearing camouflage that hinted at a completely different face.

The first test mule leaned hard into BMW’s Neue Klasse design language. Its kidney grille stretched outward, visually linking up with the headlights in a way that echoed the 2023 Vision Neue Klasse concept. BMW has already confirmed that this look will debut on upcoming production models like the next 3 Series and the electric i3 sedan, so seeing it previewed on an M5 made a certain amount of sense—at least on paper.

Then came the second prototype. Same car, same mission, but a noticeably more conservative approach. The kidneys looked closer to the current design, and the overall effect was far more traditional BMW than concept-car experiment. A recent rendering based on this newer prototype strips away the camouflage and suggests BMW may be walking back some of its bolder ideas.

Which version looks better? That’s up for debate. What’s harder to argue is what this all implies: BMW appears to be actively rethinking the M5’s facelift in public view.

Both prototypes shared some common ground. The headlights are slimmer, taking cues from the upcoming iX3, and the changes seem destined to extend beyond the M5 to the regular 5 Series lineup. The G61 5 Series Touring has already been spotted with a toned-down Neue Klasse-inspired front end, hinting that whatever BMW decides here will ripple across the range.

What makes this situation unusual isn’t that BMW is revising a facelift—it’s when and how we’re seeing it happen. Automakers frequently change course during development, but those decisions are usually finalized long before prototypes start racking up miles on public roads. Watching two different facelift philosophies play out in real time is rare.

The rumored reason for the pivot? Customer feedback. Internal studies and external research reportedly suggested that the more aggressive Neue Klasse look might not land as well as BMW hoped, particularly on a car as expensive and performance-focused as the M5. A subtler update, the thinking goes, would be safer—and more in line with buyer expectations.

There’s also a financial angle. The 5 Series and M5 are among roughly 40 models slated to receive BMW’s Neue Klasse interior and next-generation iDrive system. That’s already a massive investment. Adding extensive exterior reengineering on top of costly interior tech upgrades for cars that aren’t clean-sheet designs could push budgets into uncomfortable territory.

Of course, camouflage can be misleading, and prototypes don’t always tell the full story. For now, the facelifted 5 Series and M5 remain a waiting game. Production of the LCI models reportedly won’t begin until July 2027, putting an official reveal sometime in 2026 at the earliest.

Until then, BMW’s indecision is on full display—and for once, that might be the most interesting part of the story.

Source: BMW; Photo: Kolesa.ru

News

BMW Recalls Nearly 37,000 X3 Crossovers for Unintended Steering Movement

BMW is calling back almost 37,000 examples of its X3 crossover in the United States after discovering a software flaw that can cause the steering wheel to move on its own—while the vehicle is standing still.

The recall affects 2025 and 2026 model-year BMW X3s, with the automaker estimating that all 36,922 vehicles included may be affected by the issue. While the cars aren’t driving themselves off into traffic, unexpected steering inputs are still the sort of behavior that earns immediate attention from regulators—and drivers.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issue stems from the electric power steering system. If one of the two steering assist torque sensor channels fails while the vehicle is parked, the system may not correctly detect the fault. In rare circumstances, that oversight can result in random steering wheel movement.

The behavior can occur when the engine is started or when the vehicle is stationary with the transmission in gear. In other words, the X3 might appear perfectly calm—until the steering wheel decides to make a move of its own.

This isn’t a purely theoretical problem, either. At least one real-world example has already surfaced on video, showing a parked X3 turning its steering wheel to one side, returning it to center, and repeating the motion—all while the vehicle itself remains motionless. It’s unsettling to watch, even if the risk of immediate danger appears low.

BMW says the fix is straightforward: a software update for the steering control system. Most owners won’t need to visit a dealership, as the update will be delivered over the air (OTA). For those who prefer the traditional route, BMW dealers will install the update free of charge.

The recall is another reminder that as modern vehicles rely increasingly on software, the definition of a “mechanical issue” continues to evolve. Sometimes, solving a steering problem no longer requires a wrench—just a stable internet connection.

Source: NHTSA

Auctions

Low Mileage 2020 BMW i8 Coupe is for sale

The BMW i8 has always existed in a strange automotive limbo. It looks like a concept car that escaped an auto-show turntable, complete with dihedral doors and a silhouette that suggests six-figure exotica. Yet it was never truly fast in the way its looks promised, nor traditionally BMW in the way purists hoped. Its turbocharged three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor felt futuristic in 2014 and mildly awkward ever since. And now, six years after production ended, the i8 remains an automotive question mark—especially in the collector market.

For years, the phrase “future classic” has hovered around the i8 like a half-remembered prophecy. But the market has been unconvinced. With rare exceptions, values have stubbornly stayed in five-digit territory, often well below original sticker prices. Even pristine examples haven’t triggered the kind of appreciation that usually follows low-production, design-forward cars with ambitious engineering.

That might be about to change—or at least be tested.

A 2020 BMW i8 coupe with just 426 miles has surfaced on Cars and Bids, and it represents one of the strongest cases yet for meaningful money. It’s not the lowest-mile i8 ever offered publicly, but it’s close. A 400-mile example appeared on Bring a Trailer back in 2019 and stalled at $75,000 without meeting reserve. Context matters, though: in 2019, you could still walk into a BMW dealership and buy an i8 brand new.

A more relevant comparison comes from 2024, when an E-Copper Orange i8 with 480 miles sold for $81,553. That sale quietly reset expectations for collector-grade coupes. This new example has a credible shot at eclipsing it—and not just because of the odometer reading.

Start with the configuration. The Crystal White exterior isn’t rare, but it’s paired with the E-Copper and black interior, a combination typically reserved for the full E-Copper exterior package. Here, it creates a striking contrast and subtly references the E-Copper theme BMW introduced late in the i8’s life cycle. It feels intentional, distinctive, and—importantly for collectors—unusual without being polarizing.

Then there’s the build date. As a 2020 model-year car, this i8 benefits from BMW’s Life Cycle Impulse updates and the incremental quality improvements that come with the final years of production. Late cars are almost always the ones collectors want, especially when a model’s early years were as experimental as the i8’s.

Even the auction venue works in this car’s favor. Cars and Bids has posted a slightly higher sell-through rate for BMW i8s than Bring a Trailer—79 percent versus 78. It’s a marginal difference, but when you’re chasing the right bidder for a niche modern collectible, marginal advantages matter.

Still, there’s an elephant in the room—or rather, a convertible. If the i8 ever earns true collector status, history suggests it will be the Roadster that leads the charge. BMW built just 3,884 of them, compared with 16,581 coupes. That disparity already shows up in pricing. A 1,000-mile i8 Roadster sold on Cars and Bids in 2022 for $105,000, well above what even ultra-low-mile coupes were bringing at the time.

So will this 426-mile coupe finally move the needle? Probably not in a dramatic way. But its outcome will matter. A sale north of the 2024 E-Copper car would help establish a clear value trajectory for delivery-mile i8s and reinforce the idea that condition and provenance now count. A reserve-not-met result—or a number that falls well short—would suggest the i8 still needs more time to mature, aging slowly and awkwardly, much like the technology that once made it feel revolutionary.

Either way, the BMW i8 remains exactly what it has always been: fascinating, frustrating, and just strange enough to keep us watching.

Source: Cars and Bids