2010 Bmw M6 Convertible G Power Hurricane 1000hp Twin Supercharged Hamann Body on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW recalling a grand total of three X3s over instrument panel defect

We've seen big recalls and we've seen small ones. Some involve millions of vehicles, and some - like the Infiniti Q50 recall on which we reported just the other day - involve just a couple dozen. But this has to be the smallest recall we've seen yet.
"Due to a production process error" in the BMW X3, states the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the notice below, "the team seam on the instrument panel was not manufactured correctly." Big friggin' whoop, you say? Well, NHTSA points out that it could hinder the deployment of the airbag and send fractures flying everywhere.
The problem was discovered in a select few examples of the 2013 BMW X3 - both xDrive 28i and 35i models - manufactured in the later part of February this year. And by "select few," we literally mean a few - as in three. Three examples are being recalled. If you happen to be one of those three owners, expect to hear from your local dealership.

2015 BMW i8 Prototype

M Meets Edison
The real telling moment for the new BMW i division will be seeing how the recently tested 2014 i3 sells in its various markets, since that is the car that changes how we perceive our expectations of the brand. But this 2015 BMW i8 green supercar has all the earmarks of a slam-dunk project, we just needed to drive it and make sure for ourselves.
BMW has a spectacular test facility in southern France, called Miramas, and that's where we just had our first brief go behind the wheel of the i8. There were three cars for us there and they were dressed up in exactly the same paisley camo that we've all seen in the spy photos published everywhere for the past year. The interiors, though swathed in masking to hide all the details, varied in their color.

BMW-Toyota partnership to spawn hybrid supercar

BMW and Toyota inked a partnership some time ago to develop green technology, and while we were excited by the idea of a reborn Supra with BMW's carbon fiber reinforced plastic slashing the curb weight or an ultra-efficient, hybridized 1 Series, the joint efforts have been rather limited. That's set to change, though, according to a report from Australia.
Motoring reports that the partners have come to terms on a sports car. And not just any sports car, but a lightweight, hybridized model, with a six-figure price tag. Lending a bit of street cred to that idea is the site's claim that Toyota is currently carrying out durability testing on the BMW i8. According to the site, the new model will slot into the spot left by the Lexus LFA, although based on the language used, it's unclear if this is the Tokyo-bound vehicle we mentioned several months ago.
Details on this potential car are limited, although Motoring claims it will use a Toyota hybrid system mated up to a BMW gas engine - likely the 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 found in the M5 and M6. That sounds pretty amazing to us, but we'd still advise taking this with a grain of salt. What would you like to see out of a joint-venture supercar from Toyota and BMW? Let us know in Comments, and have your say on the prospects of a hybridized, twin-turbocharged V8.