BMW 5-Series Touring

the BMW 5-Series Touring (F11).Like the 5-Series sedan and 5-Series GT, the Touring is outfitted with a front lip spoiler, extended side skirts, a rear diffuser and a roof-mounted spoiler. Additionally, customers can order a four-tailpipe sport exhaust system, lowering springs (which reduce the ride height by 35mm) as well as a variety of 20- and 21-inch alloy wheels.

Lastly, the interior can be equipped with carbon fiber trim, a sports steering wheel and aluminum pedals.

BMW 7-Series - New 2011 2012 BMW 750LI, 750I & 760LI

The twin-turbocharged V8 will be powering the 750i and 750Li models, in both traditional two wheel drive and BMW's new xDrive (AWD) versions

BMW 7-Series (740i, 750i, 760Li)

Get detailed information on new BMW 7-Series cars including car prices, BMW 750LI, 750I & 760LI pictures, expert car reviews and more

BMW ConnectedDrive First Look

Bernhard Niedermaier, BMW's head of human-machine interaction, is expounding on the automaker's elaborate HMI interface design process. Having stepped off a plane from the U.S. just hours earlier — with no coffee in sight — jet lag is causing my interest to wane.
It's not that Herr Niedermaier's presentation — detailing the intricacies of the design cycle that's brought to the world BMW innovations such as iDrive — isn't interesting, or the lack of sleep and caffeine that's causing my mind to drift. It's what's on the other side of the conference room's floor-to-ceiling windows that's attracting my addled attention.
All Eyes on Pupilometry
Behind the glass, in a cavernous section of the building, is a contraption that looks like an egg on stilts. It's actually BMW's Driving Simulation and Usability Lab. It's where BMW developed the latest generation of iDrive and is working on its new ConnectedDrive platform. It's also where the automaker's pioneering research into "pupilometry" is now taking place. Our small group is promised a tour of the simulator as the highlight of today's visit, and even though it was built five years ago (at a cost BMW won't divulge), we're told we're the first outsiders to get a close-up look at the lab.

Car stereo prices set to soar

According to CE Outlook, the price of car stereo components may be on the rise. The report says that even before Japan suffered its earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters, manufacturers responsible for automotive audio equipment were already beginning to increase MSRPs. The main source of that surge came from steeper prices for metals like aluminum and copper, which are used in heat sinks and connectors. Rockford Fosgate and JL Audio both increased their prices by March 1 of this year after the cost of materials increased six to eight percent. Manufactures say they expect another increase of similar severity by the end of 2011.

Meanwhile, the tragedy in Japan has delayed or stopped business completely at several suppliers responsible for building car audio components. CE Outlook reports that Alpine has already announced that a number of its suppliers have suffered substantial damage. That damage may lead to delays or additional price increases as manufacturers scramble to find interim replacements.