BMW I3 2016 News

A number of potentially hazardous faults have been identified in vehicles sold in Australia, prompting a wide range of recalls.

Chinese-backed Tesla-botherer Lucid Motors has revealed its all-electric Model S competitor due for production in 2018. And you shouldn't write it off as a cheap knock-off just yet.

The top end of town has snubbed next week's Paris motor show but the biggest auto event on the European calendar will have plenty of new sheet metal.

BMW is looking to join the ranks of car companies like Tesla and Mercedes-Benz by offering a home energy storage solution based around its vehicle battery technology.

The BMW i3 electric car has won Wheels magazine’s latest Car of the Year award even though it conked out during the test because it ran out of power.The oddly shaped $65,000 car which is about the same size as a $15,000 hatchback, is one of the most controversial winners of the world’s oldest Car of the Year award since the Leyland P76 in 1973, the Holden Camira in 1982 and the Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car in 2011, of which fewer than 100 were sold last year.The magazine also admits its latest winner is poor value: “If the i3 has an obvious weakness, it’s value.”BMW sold just 33 examples of its quirky i3 electric car since it was introduced last year. Even the Leyland P76 sold more examples in its first partial year on sale.The BMW i3 was criticised by the magazine because it drained power too quickly after it failed to complete one phase of the test.“BMW could and should do a better job of explaining the range extender functions and the importance of avoiding battery depletion,” the magazine said.However, Wheels editor Glenn Butler defended the decision to hand the award to the BMW i3 and added "It didn't break down ... it ran out of electricity".“We aren’t suggesting this is the car for every Australian,” Mr Butler told News Corp Australia.“Those who do big country kilometres will need something with greater range. But for the average Australian who does just 40km a day, the i3 offers fuel-free, emission-free motoring.”The BMW i3 is not the first winner to run out of fuel. The Ford Falcon that won in 2002 ran dry and had to be refuelled, said Mr Butler.Meanwhile safety advocates have criticised the award because the BMW i3 only scores four stars out of five for safety according to European authorities.Even Wheels magazine admitted: “Like almost any car in production, it could be made a little safer.”However, in earlier awards, Wheels took safety so seriously that in the year 2000, Holden air-freighted a Barina from Europe to Australia because the magazine insisted all contenders have three-point, lap-sash seatbelts.Until Wheels introduced the rule, the Barina at the time had a lap-only belt in the middle back seat. It went on to win the 2001 award.The BMW i3 is the first car with a four-star safety rating to win the award in 10 years.“Questions have been raised about the i3’s four-star (rating),” said the magazine. “There’s no question, however, that the BMW i3 does a good job of protecting its occupants in a crash.”The BMW i3 has seven airbags but it was marked down for having a poor pedestrian safety rating.Last year, 151 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads, accounting for 13 per cent of the total road toll.The head of the Pedestrian Council of Australia Harold Scruby said: “It’s disappointing that such a prestigious award should not take pedestrian safety seriously. When we get out of a car, we’re all pedestrians.”

Car makers are embracing lifestyle hardware as the next step in connecting vehicles with the newest-generation drivers.At the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai displayed apps to remotely interact with the car.There's nothing new in that; car companies have been touting remote apps for years. The difference this year is the focus on linking those apps to "wearables" rather than smart phones (the band/watch is connected to the phone, which remains securely in owners's pocket or handbag).It's all about ease of access and for once car companies are surfing the leading wave of the tech swell, anticipating the arrival of the Apple Watch and the next-gen Android Wear devices will hasten adoption of Dick Tracy-style wristbands.BMW, the most ambitious, integrates some functionality in its i3 electric car, working with a Samsung smart watch and its iRemote software.The functions - from checking the battery level to remotely firing up the aircon - can be accessed using either the touchscreen or by voice recognition.BMW is also researching using the watch to lock and unlock the car's doors using gesture control.BMW says the application "can significantly enhance comfort and convenience not only in the private sphere but also when using the BMW car-sharing program DriveNow".Hyundai's take on how wearables might work includes handing over some of the driver assistance aids to the smartwatch. So it's the watch, rather than the steering wheel, that will vibrate when a driver leaves the lane or another car starts to veer into its space. Likewise, the smartwatch will monitor the user's heart rate and can then automatically stop the car and call emergency services if there are critical changes to the driver's pulse.To varying degrees all of the above systems are production ready, meaning they'll be appearing in vehicles in the near future. Meanwhile, watch this space.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott