Himafagy

OK, we admit that this might be more appropriate on Engadget than Autoblog, but it is about BMW audio, so here goes. HD Radio technology is said to be one of the most significant advances in radio broadcasting history. Their words, not ours, but it's probably true. Just like HDTV, which gives viewers an unprecedented amount of visual sharpness and clarity, HD Radio gives listeners crystal clear, noise-free reception.


HD Radio can also multicast and display text information like station name, or track and artist info. Multicasting allows FM stations to broadcast multiple channels of programming on one frequency. Imagine your favorite station pumping alt-rock, hip-hop and country through one dial setting and you can see how cool this technology can be. And unlike satellite subscription services like XM or Sirius, HD Radio is free to anybody with an HD receiver. Not a huge group right now, but with 1,000 HD stations out there broadcasting HD programming, we expect it to be a hot sector in the near future.


BMW was the first to offer an OEM HD Radio on its 2006 7-series models. They added it to the 6-series in '06, and then announced that HD Radio would appear on the 5-series models in '07. Well, that group will soon include BMW 3-series owners as well. Starting with the Hardtop Convertible, HD will start showing up in 3s in 2007 as well, for around $500. For a list of HD stations, check outwww.hdradio.com.


[Source: MWerks]

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Why not? In Australia, Ford sells the F6 Tornado, Pursuit and Super Pursuit under the Ford Performance Vehicle (FPV) banner, hauling ass as well as anything else. BMW doesn't offer anything even close, so what is a Bimmer enthusiast to do when he has to stop at The Home Depot for garden supplies? Certainly not put them in the X5!

There is always someone out there who solves problems such as this before they actually become an issue. In this case, a bloke named POWERCHIP from the M5Board has taken a BMW E39 M5 and is converting it into what he calls the M5 UTE. It seems that after talking to Shane from Southern Rod and Custom in New South Wales Australia it looked like his dream car might just come true.

The yearlong transformation of this great sedan into the M5 UTE is truly amazing. Every inch of the vehicle is being properly engineered to drive just like the M5 from which it spawned. Clickhere to check out the 200+ photo album that details the build every step of the way.

[Source: Jalopnik via M5Board]

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While sightings of the upcoming BMW M3 Coupe have been near prolific, glimpses of Bavaria's bomber in sedan form have been harder to come by. We found one for you back in July, but that mule hardly told us anything about what the M3 Sedan would look like since it was wearing the stock front clip of the 3-Series sedan. As far as we know, the shots we link to above are some of the first of the M3 Sedan showing its production front clip, which appears to be nearly identical to the front fascia we expect to see on the M3 Coupe.



What does this mean? It means the M3 Sedan's gonna be a hot number, foh sho. The standard 3-Series sedan, while not exactly uggo, is creased and stern looking, much like the mugs of the many business people who'll buy one. The coupe, however, is long, lean and graceful with a face that could launch a thousand ships. To see that visage on the M3 Sedan is a good thing, along with the 400-hp V8 that will be located directly behind it.



Thanks for the tip, Jason!



[Source: M3Post.com]

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While
we're always keen to give you the latest sneak peek at upcoming models and revisions to existing ones, BMW's 5-Series carries a little more weight than most. The 5 has long been the benchmark sports-luxury sedan against which all others, from Cadillacs and Lexus to Audis and Alfas, are measured. It's like a new Porsche 911 coming out, only BMW's designers (love 'em or hate 'em) actually have some, you know... imagination. So it's with particular intrigue that we closely follow the developments in the Bavarian's mid-size sedan.

The facelifted 5-Series will get a new nose, complete with restyled
headlights and a new front bumper with a revised air dam. Around back the rear bumper and skirt get smoothed out, while the interior gets some mild revisions including a new automatic shift lever. On the juiced-up side of the range, the M5 gets some visual enhancements of its own, predictably more aggressive than its steroid-less stable-mates.

The update is far from a major one, so if you weren't a fan of the styling before, this facelift is not about to change your mind. Just enough to keep us on our toes.

[Source: World Car Fans]

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The ultimate driving machine is getting the ultimate computing machine. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but BMW has reached an agreement with Intel to use their new Albert 2 supercomputer at the BMW/Sauber Development Center near Zürich, Switzerland. The Albert 2 is only 60th on the list of world's fastest supercomputers at 12.8 teraflops per second. We think that's even quicker than the 20,000 RPM F1 engines.

BMW Motorsport director Dr. Mario Theissen says the Intel deal will stretch beyond the motorsports division, however. BMW will also switch all of its corporate servers over to Intel-based products. Office computers, entertainment and information applications, service computers, they'll all be using Intel equipment in the future. Will new BMW iDrives sport an "Intel Inside" sticker?

One other thing we know about this relationship is that the Formula 1 cars will sport Intel livery. Even with this agreement, Intel is still committed to its arrangement with Toyota as well, where the chip company is a big tech partner for the Japanese automaker's F1 program as well. Somewhat hard to believe, but BMW plans to show off its first Formula 1 car designed with Albert 2 on January 16! That seems very quick indeed.

[Source: Heise via Engadget]

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