A biweekly roundup of automotive news, good, bad and just plain weird:
BMW reveals futuristic i models
Everybody knows that if you want to make a product sound trendy and cuttingedge you put a lower-case i in front of it. Thus we have the Apple iPod and iPad and iMac and the iStephen iHarper. OK, so that last one didn't work so well, but now BMW's getting on board with the i3 and i8.
You may recognize the Teutonic brand's 3-and 6-series designations from countless great cars over the last three decades. However, where the "i" in that 325i badge once stood for fuelinjected, now BMW wants "i" to make you think about a completely new approach to getting around.
Firstly though, don't be alarmed by the Blade Runner looks of the concepts that Bimmer has just dropped the wraps on. Other manufacturers may be moving towards self-driving automobiles, but BMW's best slogan was always, "the Ultimate Driving Machine," and they want you to know their cars are still for driving.
With this new "i" sub-brand, which incorporates plug-inhybrid and full EV technology, well-honed aerodynamics and tech-savvy, de-cluttered cabins, BMW is seeking to make a great leap forward, rather than incrementally improving the efficiency of an existing car.
Consider the i8 concept's mid-ship mounted engine, a turbo-charged 1.5-litre three-cylinder. Sounds a bit wimpy, right? Well, coupled with that three-banger is an electric engine that bumps the twist available to 400 foot-pounds of torque and drops the 0-100 kilometres per hour time to less than five seconds. Also, the i8 boasts that Holy Grail of handling, perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
That's more like it, but where the i sub-brand really shines is integrated technology, where your smart phone and car will work together to dodge traffic jams and ensure that you're maximizing your electric-only range to save gas. It's all very cool stuff, and would you just look at the styling? Producers of Tron, eat your heart out.
Mazda reveals first full Skyactiv model, the CX-5
Another driver's favourite, and one more accessible to those of us who don't have the scratch to get into something with the blue-and-white roundel on the nose, is Mazda. Everyone knows about Zoom-Zoom, but the catchphrase is more than just clever marketing: Mazda's engineers seem to have a big Mason jar in the lab with a sharpie-marker-written label that says, simply, "Fun." Everything they make gets a big dollop.
Of course, the best example of this ethos is the Miata, or MX-5 as they're now calling it. Lightweight, crisp and - without the need for a giant engine - quite efficient, the MX-5 is a glorious little soufflé of a car and a joy to drive.
However, while some of that MX-5 DNA makes it into every Mazda, fuel-efficiency is king of the marketplace these days. Thus, the Skyactiv fleet of technologies, and the first car to embody all of them, the upcoming Mazda CX-5.
The CX-5 is a Tiguan-sized cute-ute that showcases Mazda's new design language, and while toned down from the outgoing Nagare styling, it still looks fresh without being too conservative. It'll also be clean running with the new Skyactiv high-compression engines and clever transmissions, and best of all (a rarity for the class), you'll be able to get it in a manual.
Look for the CX-5 to arrive in showrooms early next year, and watch for partial Skyactiv tech to show up in the Mazda3 sometime around October.
Hyundai builds millionth Sonata
Niche sports and luxury players like Mazda and BMW may be ensuring the future of their brand with wild concepts or technological revolutions, but mainstream brands like Hyundai are certainly enjoying the fruits of their labours right now. The Hyundai success story continues to grow as the millionth Sonata rolls off the assembly line in Montgomery, Ala.
You can buy the mid-size Sonata in several trim levels with regular four-cylinder, hybrid or turbocharged powerplants. It's handsomely styled, nicely appointed inside and good value. Small wonder then that it's become so popular.
Yet Hyundai is not one to rest on their laurels. Earlier this week, rumours surfaced that the Korean manufacturer was incorporating exotic materials like volcanic rock into their prototype interiors to give a nicer tactile feel to the plastics.
Certainly, watch for Hyundai to keep surging forward: with a one-million-strong backbone of sales, their R&D departments are going to have some serious funding to play with.
Lithuanian mayor says "tanks" to bike-lane parkers
Are you a cycle-commuter? If so, good for you! Or maybe not good for you as it can occasionally be a little dangerous out there.
It's no secret that Mayor Gregor Robertson has tried to make things a little safer for the cyclists by incorporating (controversial) bike lanes into all future city planning. If you're already miffed by the bike lanes - and I'm a fan of them myself - just don't hand Mayor Greg a Lithuanian newspaper.
If you do, he just might find out what the mayor of Vilnius has been up to. Apparently there's been an epidemic of entitled luxury car drivers leaving their cars parked in the cycle lanes. Being that this is happening in a European city, it's a major traffic flow problem as nearly everyone cycles frequently.
However, being that this is happening in an Eastern European city with plenty of ex-Soviet military equipment lying around, Not A Problem. Mayor Arturas Zuokas climbed into a BTR troop carrier and crunched over an old Mercedes in a demonstration of what he'd like to do to scofflaws who plug up the bike lanes.
Follow Brendan on Twitter: @brendan_mcaleer, or submit your own auto oddities to [email protected].
