BMW on Saturday wrapped its BMW i global Born Electric Tour's New York City pit stop, which featured a digital window that turned the reflection of cars passing by into its own electric vehicles, the all-electric BMW i3 and plug-in hybrid BMW i8 concept vehicles. Find out more below, along with interviews from the automaker's execs who turned up to the Big Apple.Continue reading...

Buying a car has never been a walk in the park. But in New York this week, at least looking at BMWs can be that simple.

BMW is displaying its brand in all sorts of new ways these days, including its retail store in Paris and new licensed goods ranging from baby strollers to watches. And now, BMW is bringing its brand to a pop-up experience near you — at least if you live in New York, Rome, Dusseldorf, Tokyo, London, Paris or Shanghai.

The Born Electric Tour, on behalf of the BMW i sub-brand of electric cars announced last year, and featuring glimpses of the brand's future, opens today at Bryant Park in New York, through Saturday. Vehicles on display include the BMW i3 Concept, the BMW i8 Concept Spyder, and its "future mobility services" that reflect the company's vision for urban transportation.

It's the latest stop on a year-long global tour that kicked off in Rome in June. The goal is showcase the BMW i series in a series of pop-up events in seven cities, including Dusseldorf, Tokyo, London, Paris and Shanghai. It's no accident that the tour is visiting only a handful of the largest and most important metropolitan areas in the world's most significant and populous markets.Continue reading...

In advertisements that began in the U.S. market last weekend, BMW launched an attempt to move its brand definition beyond traditional notions of "performance" to a more holistic positioning that depicts the company's entire model range as offering the "ultimate driving machine" for someone, depending on their wants and needs. And at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, BMW executives explained what they mean.

"We want to set in motion a platform that defines what 'the ultimate driving machine' means in 2012 and beyond," Dan Creed, CMO of BMW of North America, told brandchannel. "Twenty years ago, it was all about visceral horsepower, handling and going fast. But now we have four, six- and eight-cylinder engines; we have diesel and gasoline and EV [powertrains]; we have 'i' [electric vehicles for urban setings] and still our strong involvement with motorsports. Those last two are extremes. What we're saying is that, no matter the vehicle, we're delivering an ultimate driving machine."

The timing couldn't be better, with BMW having just won the 2011 crown for luxury auto sales in the U.S., pipping Mercedes-Benz and Lexus for the title. But there's no evidence of schadenfreude for having won the race against a highly competitive Mercedes-Benz, and succeeding Lexus, which had held the crown for 11 years.Continue reading...

Looking for stocking stuffers for the luxury auto buff who has everything?

BMW recently partnered with Austrian natural cosmetics brand Susanne Kaufmann as part of its BMW i future-forward R&D initiative, and one of the first products they’ve come up with is the Purif-i hand sanitizer and moisturizer, which is made entirely of herbal extracts. Only 14 euros (almost US$19) will get you 75mls of the stuff.

“The unique collaboration between a natural cosmetics manufacturer and the BMW i mobility brand is an example of how nature and technology can work together and effectively enhance each other,” said Uwe Dreher, BMW i’s marketing manager, about the brand extension, according to Wired.

The sanitizer comes on the heels of rival Mercedes-Benz releasing its own perfume in September. Bentley, meanwhile, today released its new sound — described as "stirring and thunderous" — as part of the brand's rejuvenation in 2012. Listen below.Continue reading...

The BMW Guggenheim Lab, which opens tomorrow in New York, gives new meaning to pop-up art.

Reclaiming a rat- and rubble-infested 2,000 square foot East Village lot between Houston and East First Street, the Lab is a social experiment in urban living — through October 16th, when the pop-up co-branded installation takes off on a six-year world tour to inspire eight other cities.Continue reading...

Markets rally as Sunday night's U.S. debt limit deal goes before Congress for a vote today as Twitter explodes over deal.

Airbnb investor suggests ransacked woman is lying.

Al Jazeera English launches in New York.

Ambassador Coffee brand changes hands.

Apple wins dispute over iPods.com domain.

Bank of America hit with new Countrywide lawsuit.

Bloomberg Businessweek to hike paid circulation.Continue reading...

Airbnb crime victim claims company tried to silence her.

Apple iPhone ousts Nokia as world's best-selling smartphone, has more money than the US government.

AT&T plans to throttle data-hogs.

Bloomberg reportedly plans Arabic-language TV channel.

BMW i sub-brand starts to take shape with new concept cars.

Bulgari sales rise 23%.

Delta partners with LivingSocial to offer local deals.Continue reading...