BMW is developing an application store specifically for in-car use.

A company that markets products based upon thermoelectric technology is entering the fifth phase of a project that would allow an automobile to capture it’s own engine exhaust and recycle it into electric power.

The Vision EfficientDynamics is a plug-in hybrid sports car with a new dynamic exterior and interior design language.

In the latest report to track China’s wealthiest people, we learn that Beijing has the most multimillionaires in China. The Hurun Report’s newest publication titled “China’s New Aristocrat Consumption Threshold Report” lays out the details on Beijing’s estimated 143,000 multimillionaires and 8,800 billionaires. In comparison, Shanghai has 116,000 multimillionaires and 7,000 billionaires.
The typical rich Beijing family profile is that of a couple in their 40s with a teenager. Annual spending for Beijing’s rich is roughly USD 850,000, including an estimated one-fifth of that going to charity. Tokyo and Osaka are top travel destinations, while BMW and Mercedes Benz are the [...]

Mercedes-Benz has recently announced plans to go ahead with the electric-drive SLS Gullwing.  If this car makes it to final production, it will join cars like the much talked about Tesla Roadster in the electric sportscar category.  What is interesting about both of these vehicles is the strong design element.  The original 300 SL Gullwing, introduced in 1954, is unquestionably one of the most beautiful cars that Mercedes-Benz has ever built.   Forget about the mileage, performance, and other green credentials, people will want to own this car because they are going to look good driving it.  Similarly, although not [...]

Earlier this week PSFK visited the BMW HQ in Munich. We got the chance to spend some time at BMW World and BMW Museum. The automaker has done a fantastic job in celebrating its history in a very modern style. A black road in the museum takes you down into the building and along the way visitors stop in “white houses” to find out more about the heritage. The designers must have been told to make an experience as beautiful and captivating as the cars themselves.

PSFK was recently invited to meet BMW and on our trip we paid a visit to the brand new museum and hyper-showroom just by the auto-maker’s head office in Munich. We took some photos along the way and thought you might be interested. These ones are of the Coop Himmelb(l)au designed BMW World:
Related: Site Visit: BMW Museum, Munich

Car Body Design reports on the BMW Design Talk held recently at the  Concorso d`Eleganza historic car show in Italy. The theme of the panel was “Art and Design: Is Modesty the new Luxury?” Participants on stage were Thomas Demand (artist), Alfredo Häberli (designer), Louisa Hutton (architect), Inga Sempé (designer) and Adrian van Hooydonk (Director Design BMW Group)
All the panelists agreed that the global economic crisis has hit the reset button on design priorities. What is emerging is a focus on sustainability, modesty, quality. Photographer Thomas Demand considers luxury to now be more inwardly focused rather than outwardly expressed.
Why do [...]

First Audi put up their ad in LA, then a BMW dealer responded.

In an interview on PSFK a few weeks ago, Sascha Lewis, co-founder of Flavorpill, talked about his readership – this Creative Class:

“These are artists, publishers, designers, etc who all use creativity in their work and often fuel economic and social trends to the mainstream.”