Tag Archives: BMW

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BMW’s Art Car Legacy Meets Its Electric Future in Hungary

BMW knows how to put on a show. Fresh off the 50th-anniversary global tour of its iconic Art Car Collection—which has been globe-trotting since March—the automaker’s latest stop landed in Hungary, home of its brand-new iX3 electric crossover. And BMW didn’t waste the moment. Under one roof at Budapest’s Millenáris Park, it brought together two machines separated by nearly six decades yet connected by a single idea: design that moves both the eyes and the wheels.

The star attraction? The very first BMW Art Car, making its debut appearance in Hungary. The 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL—better known as the #93 Le Mans racer—was the brainchild of French racing driver Hervé Poulain, who dreamed up the daring concept of putting real art on real race cars. American sculptor Alexander Calder answered that call, delivering a riot of color across the CSL’s widebody flanks. Although the car didn’t finish the Le Mans endurance race, it kickstarted a tradition that now spans 19 officially recognized BMW Art Cars, the most recent being Julie Mehretu’s M Hybrid V8.

And yet, even parked beside a literal masterpiece, the modern metal refused to fade into the background.

BMW used the Budapest stop as a coming-out party for its all-new iX3, the first production model spun from the company’s Neue Klasse electric platform built at its new Debrecen facility. Several iX3s appeared at the event, all wearing M Sport package trim and rolling on flashy 22-inch wheels. Ocean Wave Blue was the dominant hue of the day, though a single Space Silver example quietly flexed its metallic cool.

The iX3 has only just entered series production, with Europe receiving the first deliveries next spring. The launch model, the iX3 50 xDrive, pairs dual motors with BMW’s largest battery so far—a 108.7-kWh pack. More affordable “40” variants will soon follow in both RWD and AWD configurations, albeit with a smaller battery to keep costs in check.

BMW isn’t stopping there. The company is preparing a modern homage to the classic 1800 TI—the very car displayed alongside the Art Car at the event. The upcoming i3 sedan, arriving next year, will become the first Neue Klasse three-box model of this era. And for the first time in the NK lineage, BMW will introduce a crossover-coupe: the iX4, recently spied testing and expected to break cover later next year.

And what about the next Art Car? It’s coming—BMW all but guarantees it. Logic says a Neue Klasse sedan or coupe will be the canvas of choice. But with the M Hybrid V8 just officially joining the Art Car family last year, BMW seems in no rush. Good art takes time, after all.

For now, the spectacle of Calder’s original CSL beside BMW’s latest electric ambitions offers a fitting juxtaposition: a vivid reminder that while technology evolves, the brand’s love affair with creativity never really changes.

Source: BMW

News

ALPINA After 2025: BMW’s Big Takeover Begins

When BMW acquired the rights to the ALPINA brand back in March 2022, the move sent tremors through the world of German performance luxury. Yet, for nearly three years, nothing seemed to change. That’s because the long-standing agreement governing ALPINA’s operations doesn’t officially expire until December 31, 2025. Now, with that date racing toward us like a boosted inline-six on an unrestricted Autobahn, the shape of ALPINA’s future is finally coming into focus.

Handing Over the Keys—But Not the Whole Garage

On the last day of 2025, ALPINA Automobiles will transfer control of its main social media presence to BMW. But there’s one key exception: the ALPINA Classic account stays independent, continuing to represent the heritage side of the brand. That independence matters, because the Buchloe crew will still manage parts, service, and accessories for both classic and modern ALPINAs. If you already own one—from an E28 B7 Turbo to a recent B8 Gran Coupe—your car remains in the hands of the people who built its reputation in the first place.

A New Generation of ALPINA Models—By BMW

The bigger shift happens on the product side. Starting in 2026, BMW will decide which new vehicles wear the ALPINA badge. And the first out of the gate looks to be a reimagined 7 Series.

Expect not one, but three ALPINA 7 Series variants:

  • ALPINA 740
  • ALPINA 760
  • ALPINA i7 70 (yes, an electric ALPINA)

Think of them as ultra-specified G70 7 Series models, enhanced with ALPINA-exclusive styling, interior flourishes, and powertrain upgrades. A reveal could happen as soon as next year, though production may not start until 2027.

Not far behind, the next-gen X7—codenamed G69—is also slated to receive the ALPINA touch, again with both gas and electric flavors.

Will ALPINA Become Just Another Trim Level? BMW Says No.

Scroll through the comments on any ALPINA announcement, and you’ll find a recurring fear: that the brand will be diluted into a simple “luxury trim” across BMW’s lineup. According to people familiar with the plan, that isn’t happening.

Instead, ALPINA is moving further upmarket, positioned to bridge the gap between BMW’s flagship offerings and the ultra-luxury territory of Rolls-Royce. That strategy comes with trade-offs. It likely means saying goodbye to the lower-end ALPINA staples such as the B3/D3, B4/D4, and even the B5. In the near term, the focus shifts firmly to the 7 Series and X7—big, plush canvases for ALPINA’s craftsmanship.

The End of an Era—And the Start of Something New

ALPINA’s story stretches back 60 years, from its roots tuning carburetors and winning races, to becoming an officially recognized German vehicle manufacturer in 1983. The transition to BMW stewardship is undeniably the end of a chapter—but it isn’t the end of the spirit that built the brand.

For those who want something crafted by the Bovensiepen family themselves, there’s an intriguing side project: a Zagato-designed, M4-based coupe with a fixed double-bubble roof. Andreas and Florian Bovensiepen—sons of the late ALPINA founder Burkard Bovensiepen—are launching the new Bovensiepen brand, focused on low-volume, high-cost specialty cars. Think of it as a boutique continuation of the philosophy that made ALPINA special in the first place.

What Comes Next

As ALPINA enters its BMW-managed era, expect more luxury, more exclusivity, and a new electric chapter. The name may be moving under a larger umbrella, but the goal remains familiar: build some of the most distinctive, refined German performance cars on the road.

If the past is any guide, the next generation of ALPINAs won’t just be rebadged BMWs—they’ll be proper Buchloe-bred machines, shaped for a very different future.

Source: Alpina

News

BMW’s Hydrogen Bet: Zipse Warns Europe Is Falling Behind

If you ask BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse, Europe is sleepwalking through one of the biggest technological pivots of the decade. And the danger, he says, isn’t that battery-electric vehicles will fail—but that the continent is putting all of its industrial weight behind a single drivetrain while the rest of the world quietly builds a hydrogen head start.

Speaking at November’s Automobilwoche Kongress, Zipse didn’t mince words: Asia and the U.S. are racing ahead in hydrogen tech while Europe sticks to its one-track battery strategy. “Hydrogen has shifted from a fringe experiment to a strategic industrial technology,” he warned. And according to him, it’s a shift Germany risks missing entirely.

A Lone Wolf in Europe’s Hydrogen Desert

While most European automakers have abandoned fuel cell development, BMW is doubling down. The company’s involvement with hydrogen isn’t new—it reaches back to the early 2000s and even includes hydrogen-burning V12 prototypes. But the modern approach looks far different. Today’s fuel cell systems are essentially BEV powertrains, except the electricity is produced on demand by the stack rather than stored in a massive battery.

BMW argues that this hybridization of sorts delivers the best of both worlds:

  • Fast refueling
  • Reliable performance in extreme temperatures
  • Lighter energy storage for long-range travel

It’s a pitch aimed squarely at markets with shaky charging infrastructure or heavy grid constraints.

The iX5 Hydrogen: From Pilot Fleet to Production Reality

BMW’s commitment becomes tangible in 2028, when the iX5 Hydrogen enters low-volume series production. After years of global fleet testing, the model will transition from engineering exercise to an official line item on the company’s production roadmap.

Under the skin, the setup is familiar:

  • A German-built fuel cell stack
  • High-pressure hydrogen tanks
  • A small battery buffer to provide punch during hard acceleration
  • An electric motor borrowed from BMW’s fifth-generation eDrive family

The system slots into the standard X5 platform with minimal re-engineering—proof, says BMW, that future vehicle architectures should stay propulsion-agnostic.

That flexibility is a core part of the strategy. BMW wants platforms that can host BEVs, hybrids, combustion engines, or fuel cells depending on where each vehicle is sold. In its view, locking into a single drivetrain is a dangerous bet in a world with wildly uneven infrastructure.

Funding, Friction, and a Warning Shot at Regulators

BMW’s fuel cell push is supported by €273 million in government funding under the EU’s IPCEI Hydrogen initiative. But Zipse argues it’s still not enough to keep pace with countries that treat hydrogen as a priority, not an experiment.

His biggest frustration lies with Europe’s “tailpipe-only” regulations—rules that rate cars solely on what comes out of the exhaust, not the emissions involved in building them. BMW’s view is that lifecycle emissions matter just as much as tailpipe zeros, and ignoring them gives policymakers a distorted sense of progress.

The Critics Aren’t Quiet—And BMW Knows It

Skeptics still question hydrogen’s viability in passenger cars.
Fuel cell tech is expensive, the fueling network is almost nonexistent, and BEVs are far ahead in maturity. Hydrogen production and distribution also come with efficiency penalties that make analysts doubt its cost competitiveness.

These aren’t fringe concerns—they represent mainstream European policy. Most of the EU expects BEVs to dominate sales by the mid-2030s.

But BMW sees a different landscape.

Where Hydrogen Actually Makes Sense

BMW isn’t pitching fuel cells as BEV killers. The company sees them as a complementary option for:

  • Regions with unreliable fast-charging access
  • Areas where grid capacity limits large-scale EV adoption
  • Drivers who regularly cover long distances or haul heavy loads
  • Customers who can’t practically live with a full BEV

In other words, hydrogen isn’t a replacement—it’s a pressure release valve.

A Future That Depends on Europe’s Next Move

The iX5 Hydrogen’s move to production isn’t a volume play; it’s a stake in the ground. BMW believes hydrogen will become a meaningful part of its lineup later in the decade—but only if Europe keeps pace on infrastructure and regulatory flexibility. International partners are already showing interest. The question is whether BMW’s home continent will do the same.

Zipse’s final message was blunt:
If Europe doesn’t build a hydrogen future, someone else will. And once that industrial shift happens, catching up won’t be easy.

Source: BMW