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BMW almost ready to roll out new 2 Series cabriolet

The 2 Series is a relatively new member of the BMW family, having been spun off of the 1 Series (itself one of the company's youngest lines) just last year. So far the range has been split between the Active Tourer and the 2 Series Coupe, but soon the latter will breed a new compact convertible to take the place of the outgoing 1 Series cabriolet, and here we have our best look at it yet.
Spied with the most minimal camouflage and its top down while undergoing its final rounds of development testing, this pre-production 2 Series cabrio looks about ready for show time. While the Active Tourer is based on a different front-drive platform, this convertible is, as you might have guessed, essentially a 2 Series Coupe with a folding fabric roof. That means rear-wheel drive (or potentially all-wheel drive if BMW extends its availability from the coupe to the convertible) win either 228i or M235i specification - both of them turbocharged, the former with a 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter four and the latter with the 320-hp, 3.0-liter inline-six.
Considering that BMW got an approximately $8k premium for the 1 Series convertible over the coupe, expect the 2 Series cabrio to start at a little over $40k for the 228i and top out at around $53k for the M235i xDrive convertible. That is, assuming BMW offers it in that top spec, because at that rate we're getting perilously close to the $54,900 base price of the 435i convertible.

Alpina B4 coupe will be your subtle M4

We're big fans of Alpina here at Autoblog - the BMW tuner has created some seriously delicious products in the past, and recently tuned the diesel-powered 3 Series wagon to create the D3 Bi-Turbo. What we like most about Alpina is how the cars only look subtly more aggressive than stock, yet they pack a real wallop under the hood.
Take this B4 Coupe, recently spotted testing at the Nürburgring. It looks pretty tame compared to the normal 435i, the only visual additions being the Alpina-standard 21-spoke wheels, modified front lip and rear wing spoiler. But under the hood, Alpina is reportedly working on a tuned, twin-turbo straight-six that produces something like 410 horsepower. That means the B4 should be good for a 0-62 time of 4.2 seconds, with a top speed around 190 mph. Rear-wheel drive will be standard, though our spies suggest that Alpina could also use all-wheel drive here in the B4.
We have no doubt that the next BMW M4 will be super hot, but for those seeking a bit more stealth and exclusivity, this Alpina B4 certainly looks the business. Check it out in our gallery above.

BMW working with Dainese to put airbags in motorcycle suits [w/video]

Addressing the safety concerns of its customers, BMW Motorrad is co-developing a rider suit with Dainese to feature something that's much more common in automobiles: airbags.
Starting with Dainese's D-air Protect System, which is made up of inflatable protectors that deploy in 15 milliseconds, the two companies will integrate the technology into a BMW Motorrad brand, one-piece racing suit, the DoubleR RaceAir. Later a different, street-oriented airbag system that can be retrofitted to bikes will be offered to Beemer riders.
The DoubleR RaceAir is expected to be presented at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan in November, after all required crash testing has been completed.