Tag Archives: BMW

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

News

BMW iX4 Spy Shots Signal the End of the X4 as We Know It

BMW’s X4 has always lived a slightly rebellious life. It took the sensible, upright X3 formula and leaned hard into style, sacrificing a bit of practicality for a sleeker roofline and sportier attitude. Now, that rebellious streak is taking a much bigger leap. Freshly spotted camouflaged prototypes in Germany confirm what BMW has been hinting at for some time: the next-generation X4 won’t burn gasoline at all.

Meet the BMW iX4.

Internally known as NA7, the iX4 marks a clean break from the combustion-powered X4 “G02” and becomes BMW’s first all-electric Sports Activity Coupe. More importantly, it’s built on the brand-new Neue Klasse platform, which is set to underpin BMW’s next decade of electric vehicles. This isn’t an EV adaptation—it’s a ground-up rethink.

Even through heavy camouflage, the iX4’s intent is crystal clear. Compared to the outgoing X4, the prototype looks lower, wider, and noticeably more aggressive. The profile is sharper and more rakish, with muscular fenders that give it a planted, almost squat stance. If the current X4 sometimes felt like an X3 wearing a fastback costume, the iX4 looks like it was designed as a coupe from day one.

Up front, the iX4 shares obvious DNA with the upcoming iX3 (internal code NA5). The proportions and surface language suggest a strong family resemblance, but the real visual drama happens from the B-pillars back. That’s where BMW leans hardest into the “coupe” part of Sports Activity Coupe.

The roofline tapers dramatically, squeezing the greenhouse and emphasizing the sloping silhouette. There’s still a quarter window—BMW clearly wants to maintain some visual continuity with the iX3—but it’s much smaller here. The message is clear: this is not the practical choice in the lineup. Anyone hoping for traditional SUV headroom and cargo volume should recalibrate expectations. Rear-seat headroom will be tighter, and the trunk won’t match the boxier iX3. As always with this body style, form wins over function.

One subtle but fascinating detail revealed by the spy shots is found at the rear. The iX4 appears to feature a horizontal cutout integrated into the tailgate spoiler, likely housing the third brake light. That’s a departure from BMW’s usual placement at the top of the rear glass and suggests the designers are experimenting with both aerodynamics and visual identity. It’s a small touch, but it hints at how seriously BMW is rethinking familiar elements under Neue Klasse.

The prototype also rides on a new two-tone wheel design, while flush door handles—already seen on the iX3—carry over here. They’re not just a styling flourish; they help reduce drag, which matters more than ever on an EV shaped like a fastback.

Inside, the iX4 won’t offer much nostalgia for current X4 owners. The cabin is expected to closely mirror that of the iX3, which means a wholesale move away from BMW’s traditional control layout. The iconic iDrive rotary controller is gone, along with most physical buttons. In their place is a clean, minimalist dashboard dominated by a massive 17.9-inch central touchscreen.

That screen runs BMW’s new iDrive X system, which introduces one of the brand’s boldest interior ideas yet: Panoramic Vision. Instead of a conventional head-up display, information is projected across the lower portion of the windshield. Three fixed tiles sit directly in the driver’s line of sight, with six additional customizable widgets extending to the right. It’s a radical change in how information is presented—and one that will likely divide BMW traditionalists while appealing to tech-forward buyers.

Materials, design language, and overall ambience should closely follow the iX3, emphasizing sustainability, simplicity, and digital integration over old-school driver-centric theatrics. Whether that feels like progress or heresy will depend on how attached you are to BMW’s analog past.

BMW isn’t rushing this one. The iX4 is expected to make its official debut around summer 2026, with production rumored to begin in November of that year at BMW’s new Debrecen plant in Hungary. That timeline gives the company ample opportunity to fine-tune the Neue Klasse platform—and to convince skeptics that an electric X4 isn’t a compromise, but an evolution.

One thing is certain: the days of the gas-powered X4 are numbered. And judging by what these prototypes are already showing, BMW isn’t quietly phasing it out. It’s replacing it with something sharper, bolder, and unapologetically electric.

Photos: @werner_g90_718