Tag Archives: BMW

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BMW Lets the Driftbrothers Turn Its Munich Plant Into a Smoke Show

You don’t usually expect to see tire smoke rolling through BMW’s historic Munich plant. Robots? Sure. Precision engineering? Absolutely. But drifting? Not so much. That changed when Elias Hountondji—one half of the Red Bull Driftbrothers—brought his new BMW M2 Drift Competition inside the factory for a sideways spectacle unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

In a short film shot entirely inside BMW Group Plant Munich, Hountondji pilots his 1,100-horsepower M2 through the same assembly line where the car itself is being built. Panels, doors, bumpers, even the hood—all installed in real time as the car keeps sliding through the sequence. It’s a wild juxtaposition: tire smoke and torque against a backdrop of German manufacturing discipline.

The choreography is millimeter-perfect. Hountondji flicks the M2 between robotic arms, tool stations, and forklifts with terrifying precision, sometimes with mere inches to spare. The mixed surfaces of the plant—smooth concrete giving way to polished epoxy—keep the grip unpredictable, forcing constant adjustments in throttle and steering. One standout moment: a magnesium “wall tap” that showers sparks across the floor as the car stays perfectly sideways.

An M2 Like No Other

The machine doing the dance is far from stock. Built by the Driftbrothers’ own 229performance workshop, the M2 Drift Competition takes BMW M’s S58 twin-turbo straight-six and cranks it up to over 1,100 horsepower and 1,250 Nm of torque. Every inch of the car has been engineered for competitive drifting, with its racing debut set for the 2026 Drift Masters European Championship.

Under the hood, the S58 is fortified for continuous abuse. There’s a beefed-up cooling system, a reinforced block, custom chassis bracing, and extra strut supports—all to keep the car alive under the brutal combination of heat, boost, and lateral load that defines modern drifting. Nothing’s for show here; every mod is a necessity.

A Partnership That Keeps Evolving

This isn’t the Driftbrothers’ first rodeo with BMW M. The partnership began in 2021 with a pair of M4 Competition drift cars, also powered by the S58. Those builds became rolling laboratories for how far M engineering could be pushed beyond the road and track—into the world of smoke, angle, and style points.

The new M2 Drift Competition represents the next chapter: smaller, sharper, and more extreme. Lessons learned from years of development come together in a chassis that’s more agile and a powertrain tuned to absurd levels. It’s the distilled essence of BMW M’s engineering philosophy—precision meeting chaos.

After its tire-shredding factory debut, the car will be on display at BMW Welt in Munich from October 23 to November 5, 2025. If you’re nearby, it’s worth a visit. Seeing this compact monster in person, knowing it once drifted past robots and torque wrenches on the same floor, is about as surreal as it gets.

BMW built the plant for precision. The Driftbrothers brought passion, smoke, and spectacle. Together, they created something unforgettable—proof that even in a factory built for perfection, there’s still room for a little sideways fun.

Source: BMW

News

BMW’s Renewable Diesel Verification Could Make Fleets Greener—Right Now

BMW is doing something refreshingly unsexy in its latest sustainability push. Instead of unveiling another concept EV or a carbon-neutral factory, Munich is focusing on the paperwork—specifically, the digital kind. The automaker is piloting a system that verifies when its fleet vehicles are filled with renewable diesel, creating a way to turn vague CO₂ claims into traceable, measurable data.

The project revolves around HVO100, a plant-based hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel that can slash life-cycle CO₂ emissions by as much as 90 percent compared with fossil diesel. The best part? Every BMW model built in Germany is already compatible with it—no engine mods, no special filters, no asterisks. So why isn’t every fleet switching? Because, until now, there’s been no foolproof way to prove a vehicle has been consistently running on the good stuff.

BMW’s new system fixes that. It connects vehicle telemetry with payment records, creating a digital trail for every refueling stop. Each liter of HVO100 can be verified, logged, and credited toward a fleet’s carbon reduction goals. That makes a company’s sustainability report more than just marketing—it’s measurable.

The system is already being tested in BMW’s internal demonstration fleet and is undergoing real-world evaluation. Meanwhile, talks with major fleet operators in Germany and Italy are in progress. If all goes according to plan, this could give corporate fleets an immediate, verifiable way to cut emissions—no new trucks, no waiting for charging networks to catch up.

It’s a pragmatic move, especially considering that diesel still powers a massive chunk of Europe’s commercial vehicles. Many of those will be on the road for another decade or more. Swapping to renewable diesel doesn’t turn them into Teslas, but it does turn down the CO₂ tap today—something regulators and investors both like to see.

Looking further ahead, BMW says it plans to bring synthetic eFuels into the mix starting in 2028, providing another alternative for gasoline-powered models. It’s part of a broader strategy to clean up existing vehicles rather than waiting for full electrification to solve everything.

The company is also urging European policymakers to step up implementation of RED III, the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive that targets a 30-percent greenhouse-gas reduction from fuels. In BMW’s view, better policy support could turn renewable fuels like HVO100 from niche experiments into a mainstream emissions fix.

For now, BMW’s verification tech is a quiet but clever play. In a world obsessed with the next big battery breakthrough, it’s a reminder that sometimes the greenest move is making sure the fuel pump tells the truth.

Source: BMW

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The first BMW Skytop sold for 500,000 euros

When BMW unveiled the Skytop Concept back in 2024, most of us assumed it was one of those beautifully bonkers ideas destined for the design archive—like a wearable kidney grille or a six-wheeled iX. It looked sensational, of course, but production? Not a chance. And yet, in a rare case of Munich losing its collective mind in the best possible way, BMW decided to actually build it.

Just 50 examples, they said. Each one to cost upwards of €500,000, they said. And then — poof! — all fifty were gone before you could even say Verkaufsabteilung. The entire run was reserved “at the speed of light,” which is the sort of phrase that makes PR people sweat but accountants grin.

And now, a year later, deliveries have begun. The first lucky customer? None other than Italian racer and serial supercar hoarder Andrea Levy, who picked up his glittering new toy at BMW Welt — the Bavarian equivalent of a Wonka factory for grown-up petrolheads.

A Familiar Beast in Designer Clothing

Underneath, the Skytop is essentially an M8 Competition that’s gone through an haute couture makeover. Same chassis, same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with 626 horsepower, same eight-speed Steptronic gearbox, same xDrive all-wheel drive system. In other words, it’s as fast and furious as ever: 0–100 km/h in 3.3 seconds.

But that’s about where the similarities end. The Skytop trades the M8’s coupe roof for a targa-style setup, featuring two removable leather-clad panels that turn the whole affair into a sun-drenched grand tourer for the Riviera set. The car is drenched in silver paint, matched with jewel-like, multi-spoke wheels, while the interior—swathed in brown-red leather—looks like it was upholstered by Hermes on a good day.

It’s a masterclass in restraint and excess all at once: elegant, decadent, and just a little bit mad.

Half a Million Euro Question

Of course, half a million euros is a lot of money for what is, technically, a re-bodied M8. You could buy two M8s, a villa in Tuscany, and still have cash left over for a vintage Z8 to park beside them. But that’s missing the point.

The Skytop isn’t about rationality. It’s about craftsmanship, rarity, and that intangible aura of want. It’s the sort of car BMW builds to remind people that it still can — that behind all the i4s, hybrid SUVs, and software subscriptions, there’s still a pulse of old-school, V8-powered lunacy beating in Bavaria.

And Then Came the Speedtop

As if the Skytop weren’t enough of a collector’s fever dream, BMW doubled down a year later with the Speedtop — a sleek, shooting brake variant limited to just 70 units. Think of it as the Skytop for people who want to bring along luggage, a Labrador, or perhaps a slightly less indulgent conscience.

The BMW Skytop is the sort of machine that reminds us why we fell in love with cars in the first place. It’s extravagant, irrational, and completely unnecessary — which, ironically, makes it utterly essential.

It’s also proof that sometimes, when a carmaker decides to go off-script, magic happens.

Source: BMW