2015 BMW 6 Series gets updated styling, M6 still as menacing as ever

By Stephen Edelstein December 11, 2014

The BMW 6 Series is getting a facelift for 2015, and the company is showing off the finished product before its official unveiling at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in January.

Once again available in coupe, convertible, and four-door Gran Coupe body styles with sporty M6 versions as well, the 2015 6 Series boasts some visual tweaks, a longer equipment list, and some other changes.

The styling changes will only be apparent to true BMW devotees. The front end was reshaped to make it look pointer and LED lighting is now standard. For those hunting obscure facts, there are now nine bars in the BMW-signature “twin kidney grille,” instead of 10.

Engine options are unchanged. The 640i sports a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with 315 horsepower, the 650i gets a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 445 hp, and the M6 boasts a similar V8 with 560 hp, or 575 hp if you spring for the optional Competition Package.

Rear-wheel drive is standard, but BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive is available on the 640i and 650i. You also can’t get a 6 Series with a clutch pedal; the “standard” models get an eight-speed automatic, while the M6 is offered exclusively with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. A sports exhaust system is now standard as well.

The interior gets some new gloss trim, along with LED lighting in the footwells, door exits, and glove compartment. The standard navigation system features a touchpad controller, and a new Black Accent styling package is also available alongside the existing M Sport package on non-M6 models.

There’s also an optional head-up display, active cruise control. The M6 also gets an M Laptimer app, and GoPro integration.

The 2015 BMW 6 Series will hit showrooms early next year. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

Topics

Photo Galleries

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

costco ev charging us electricera fast station 1260x945

Costco, known for its discount gas stations, has left EV drivers in need of juicing up out in the cold for the past 12 years. But that seems about to change now that the big-box retailer is putting its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington.
After being one of the early pioneers of EV charging in the 1990s, Costco abandoned the offering in 2012 in the U.S.
While opening just one station may seem like a timid move, the speed at which the station was installed -- just seven weeks -- could indicate big plans going forward.
Besides lightening-speed installation, Electric Era, the Seattle-based company making and installing the charging station, promises to offer “hyper-reliable, battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations.”
Its stalls can deliver up to 200 kilowatts and come with built-in battery storage, allowing for lower electricity rates and the ability to remain operational even when power grids go down.
If that sounds like it could very well rival Tesla’s SuperCharger network, it’s no coincidence: Quincy Lee, its CEO, is a former SpaceX engineer.
Costco also seems confident enough in the company to have put its brand name on the EV-charging station. Last year, the wholesaler did open a pilot station in Denver, this time partnering with Electrify America, the largest charging network in the U.S. However, Costco did not put its brand name on it.
In an interview with Green Car Reports, Electric Era said it was still in talks with Costco about the opening of new locations. Last year, Costco said it was planning to install fast chargers at 20 locations, without providing further details. It has maintained EV-charging operations in Canada, the UK, Spain, and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the wholesaler’s U.S. EV-charging plans might very well resemble those of rival Walmart, which last year announced it was building its own EV fast-charging network in addition to the arrangements it already had with Electrify America.

Cars

The UK’s Wayve brings its AI automated driving software to U.S. shores

wayve ai automated driving us driver assist2 1920x1152 1

It might seem that the autonomous driving trend is moving at full speed and on its own accord, especially if you live in California.Wayve, a UK startup that has received over $1 billion in funding, is now joining the crowded party by launching on-road testing of its AI learning system on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area.The announcement comes just weeks after Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. It was also in San Francisco that an accident last year forced General Motors’ robotaxi service Cruise to stop its operations. And it’s mostly in California that Waymo, the only functioning robotaxi service in the U.S., first deployed its fleet of self-driving cars. As part of its move, Wayve opened a new office in Silicon Valley to support its U.S. expansion and AI development. Similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, the company says it’s using AI to provide automakers with a full range of driver assistance and automation features.“We are now testing our AI software in real-world environments across two continents,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO.The company has already conducted tests on UK roads since 2018. It received a huge boost earlier this year when it raised over $1 billion in a move led by Softbank and joined by Microsoft and Nvidia. In August, Uber also said it would invest to help the development of Wayve’s technology.Just like Tesla’s FSD, Wayve’s software provides an advanced driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.Before driverless vehicles can legally hit the road, they must first pass strict safety tests.So far, Waymo’s technology, which relies on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), is the only of its kind to have received the nod from U.S. regulators.

Cars

Pirelli’s new ‘Cyber Tyre’ could be the next traction control

Red Pagani Utopia Roadster in a spotlight on a white background

If you’ve heard whispers about the “Pirelli Cyber Tyre,” or spotted the news about the Italian manufacturer’s work with Bosch, Pagani, and McLaren, then you may be wondering: What makes the new tire so clever? Smart tires as a concept go back a few years, and Pirelli has a habit of squeezing in tech wherever possible. So, what's different this time?

Well, plenty of drivers know what happens when you hit a patch of ice, or test your luck through a particularly bad downpour. Your vehicle loses grip and unless you have the skills needed to get it back on track, you’re probably going to wind up pitched into a ditch or headed sideways into a tree. Things like stability control and traction control help a lot, but they can’t do much when you do start hydroplaning.