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BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept is bold and beautiful in Beijing

BMW officially unveiled the Vision Future Luxury Concept today (or is it tomorrow?) at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, giving the world's media an in-the-flesh look at not only a future design theme for the brand, but a rumored flagship model.
This is a looker in person, thanks to its Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe-inspired design, and it's not too difficult to imagine it in production car form, with smaller wheels, larger mirrors and the other minor transformations that take place from drawing board, to auto show and, finally, to assembly line. In general, it seems like there are more than a few parts of this vehicle that are ready for production.
We didn't talk about it in our initial post, but it bears mentioning that this particular concept is wearing an eDrive badge on its backside, indicating that under the Vision Future Luxury's long hood is some form of plug-in-hybrid propulsion. It's anyone's guess as to what engine, battery and motor combinations BMW is playing with, although it does seem questionable whether BMW would launch a PHEV flagship to do battle with a top-rung variant of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (which will likely use V12 power).

BMW 1 Series dead for 2014

BMW is temporarily abandoning the increasingly competitive and popular compact luxury segment, as it's announced that its 1 Series Coupe and Convertible will be discontinued for the 2014 model year, marking an ignominious end to a line that spawned a pair of excellent high-performance models during its life. Production on the Coupe officially ended in August, while convertible production was taken offline in June.
And while we're mourning the loss of the 1 Series, we're left wondering about the status of its replacement, the 2 Series. That car, which we've already seen inside and out and know the specs on, is expected to make its debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, although it's unclear just how quickly BMW will get it to showrooms. Assuming BMW doesn't have a bumper crop of already-built 2013 models to hold them over, that leaves Munich-based manufacturer somewhat vulnerable, particularly as Audi and Mercedes-Benz are both launching new models in the compact-premium space vacated by the 1 Series. Any delay in the arrival of the 2 Series could be bad news for BMW, especially if the public is receptive to the new Audi A3 and CLA-Class (early signs suggest that the baby Benz has traction).
In addition, BMW has made a number of changes across the rest of its lineup which are listed below in the official press release. Some of the notable changes, though, include a revised 445-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 on the 5 Series, a limited-edition Frozen Brilliant White Edition for the 6 Series and the rollout of a new, touchpad-equipped version of iDrive on a number of BMW models. Scroll down for the full press release from BMW.

BMW planning smaller Z2 roadster

It's been a few years since we heard about the BMW Z2, a compact, two-seat convertible that would slot in below the aging Z4 (shown above). Now, though, the crew at Car and Driver are back with details on the oft-rumored roadster.
The big shock for enthusiasts on this one is C/D's report that the Z2 will spin its front wheels, rather than its rears. A front-drive roadster is strange enough, but a front-drive BMW roadster? It's apparently true, though, as the new model would share its platform with the front-drive Mini and 2 Series Active Tourer rather than with the racier 228i or M235i coupes.
According to C/D, the rumored Z2 could be powered by a range of three- and four-cylinder, turbocharged engines, although it's more likely to be a four-only affair. Power should range from 160 to 230 ponies, while an M variant could arrive with 300 horsepower (that's a whole lot of power for front-wheel drive...).