Overview

With rear-wheel drive and an available manual transmission, the 2023 BMW M2 is expected to preserve its predecessor’s delightful driving behavior. While it shares bones with the regular BMW 2-series, the newest generation of the M2 is once again intended to provide maximum performance. Not only will it have a more distinctive appearance and a specially tuned chassis, but its twin-turbocharged inline-six should exceed the 405 horsepower made by the outgoing M2 Competition. Along with a manual gearbox, the 2023 M2 will also offer an eight-speed automatic. As for the rest of the details about the two-door coupe? Well, we’ll just have to wait for BMW to reveal them.

What’s New for 2023?

With the regular BMW 2-series recently entering a new generation, it was only a matter of time until its higher-performance counterpart—the M2—followed suit. Although we currently have limited information about the next-gen M2, we know that it’ll still have a rear-wheel-drive layout and feature a twin-turbocharged inline-six.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

M2

$60,000 (est)

M2 Competition

$65,000 (est)

BMW hasn’t said how much the 2023 M2 will cost, but it will almost certainly be more expensive than its predecessor, which had a starting price of $59,895 for the 2021 model year. Once BMW releases more details, including trim levels and available features, we can recommend which one to buy.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The new M2’s engine will be a twin-turbo inline-six, but it’s expected to be more powerful than the outgoing version, which featured a 3.0-liter with 405 horsepower on the Competition model. If we had to guess, we’d say the new engine will make somewhere in the mid-400-hp range. Feeding the new M2’s rear wheels will be either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. Of course, it wouldn’t be an M car without a specially tuned suspension and various other chassis enhancements that help it be the quickest version of the 2-series to circle a racetrack. We had a chance to test drive a prototype M2 on a racetrack in Austria, but sadly our experience was cut short by heavy rainfall. When we get a chance to drive the M2 again, we’ll update this story with driving impressions and more powertrain details.

As more information becomes available, we’ll update this story with more details about:

• Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
• Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
• Infotainment and Connectivity
• Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
• Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

• Forza Motorsport comes to Xbox Series consoles and PC, it was announced at the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 on Sunday.
  
• The new Forza Motorsport features new tracks such as the South African Kyalami Grand Prix circuit and a fictional Japanese high-speed course called Circuit Hakone.
• Fuel and tire management and increased car customization options are said to make this Forza the most in-depth and realistic experience yet. It’s expected out next spring.

It’s been five years since the last iteration of Turn 10 Studio’s Forza Motorsport 7 launched, and that game was released a full gaming-console generation ago on Windows 10 and Xbox One. Time flies when you’re playing video games, and after watching the ray-traced gameplay of the new Forza Motorsport coming to Xbox Series consoles and PC—announced over the weekend—we kind of wish we could fast-forward to its launch next spring.

Players will be able to experience racing in extremely detailed 4K resolution. It’s not just the stones and cracked tarmac that add to the immersion; the trailer also showed insanely realistic-looking engine bays in amazing detail with heat wrap, carbon fiber, buckles, bolts, and linkages, even down to the backshells on the MIL-spec wire harness fittings. It looks great, but Turn 10 Studios promises the largest changes will be felt on the racetrack.



Turn 10 Studios

An updated damage engine allows cars to trade paint and wear battle wounds with added realism. Although it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to make bumpers tear away or convert DPi Prototypes into convertibles, the scratches and bruises appear far more in-depth in this new title than ever before.

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There’s also an overhauled driving physics engine. The new feel of Forza Motorsport should highlight added features such as fuel management and tire changes, as well as the ability to finally choose different tire compounds. Ambient temperature will also affect track surface temperatures, and Turn 10 Studios says that as more rubber is laid down, the car’s behavior will change.

To add realism to its virtual stage, Forza Motorsport used photogrammetry and 3D material scans to render grass, rocks, weeds, and clouds into the game. While games like Gran Turismo 7 only offer the visual enhancement of ray-tracing during replays and in specific photo modes, Forza Motorsport can do it all the time—even when you’re using the car ahead of you as a brake in Turn 1.

Forza Motorsport launched on Xbox Series consoles and PC sometime in spring 2023. Pricing and preorder bundles haven’t been announced yet, but it’s included with Xbox GamePass subscription and playable on launch.

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Carmakers grapple with conflicting goals in designing electric-car batteries. They want high energy density for long range, but they also want to reduce the costly metals that provide that capacity.

Michigan battery startup Our Next Energy (ONE) claims to have a better way to optimize across all these factors. Now, BMW will fit an early prototype of ONE’s Gemini “Dual-Chemistry” battery into a test version of its iX EV luxury SUV to see if the claims—a heady 600 miles of range, nearly double the stock iX xDrive50’s EPA range estimates—are borne out in a variety of real-world uses. The test iX will be on the road by the end of this year, both companies say.

BMW is the logical vehicle partner to test ONE’s technology, because its investment arm—BMW i Ventures—was one of several backers in a $25 million round of financing for the battery startup last October.

Traction + Long Range

The Dual-Chemistry label on ONE’s Gemini battery refers to the pairing of two different types of battery cells, each with a different purpose.

The “Traction” portion has cells that use a lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) cathode, known to have a lower energy density than chemistries based on cobalt, nickel, manganese, or aluminum. LFP batteries are rare in North America, but common in Chinese EVs. Their use of cheap and easily available iron in the cathode leads battery analysts to suggest LFP cells will surge in popularity as their energy density rises, even though it remains below that of advanced cobalt-nickel cells.

The “Long Range” portion of ONE’s Gemini battery, on the other hand, uses a higher energy-density chemistry based on a proprietary material rich in manganese, with only minimal cobalt and nickel. During the current R&D phase, ONE founder and CEO Mujeeb Ijaz told Car and Driver, the company is still experimenting with blends of the three metals to enhance performance. Unusually, it has only a bare copper current collector—rather than separate anode material—a design known in academic circles as “anode-free.”

The LFP “Traction” cells will provide close to 99 percent of the vehicle’s overall miles, Ijaz said, while the “Long Range” cells kick in for the 1 percent of usage that requires extreme power, reducing stress on and deterioration of the LFP cells.

ONE says it can thus provide a battery with energy density that’s claimed to be double that of those in today’s EVs, while focusing on “safer” and “sustainable” battery chemistries created via a “conflict-free supply chain” that includes appropriately sourced and inexpensive manganese.

Lab Tests, Meet Real World

Hundreds of battery chemistries show at least some promise in lab tests, but far fewer make it into production—or even extended testing. The Gemini-powered BMW iX prototype will hit the road by the end of this year. It will be used as a demonstrator first, to prove the Gemini battery concept can store and deliver energy.

After that, BMW and ONE will work together on further testing. As Ijaz notes, ONE needs to “work with BMW to understand their requirements” for his company to become a long-term supplier. That’s an arduous path, but one every battery startup needs to travel before its products find a market.

The ONE-powered BMW iX will mark a new milestone for the company: Powering an actual vehicle, rather than simply showing bench-test results. The actual cells that will go into this early prototype pack will be fabricated by one or more of four separate supplier partners, both in Asia and North America, that are working with ONE on prototyping and production scale-up of its new cells.

When the iX is shown to run, charge, and cover the promised distances, ONE will have moved a large step away from its press stunt last December. In that effort, which ONE called a proof of concept, it stuffed cells with twice the energy capacity as a standard Tesla Model S into that car’s pack and ran it for more than 750 miles—or twice the usual range.

But those weren’t Gemini cells, whereas the BMW iX coming by the end of the year is expected to use very early and experimental versions of ONE’s new cells. This will count as definite progress, presuming it happens on schedule. Stay tuned.

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• This 1990 Honda CRX Si in Rio Red is our pick for today’s favorite Bring a Trailer auction.

• The second-gen CRX Si’s fun-to-drive nature was a byproduct of its light curb weight, sophisticated suspension, and manual-only gearbox.

• It’s currently bidding at $20,000 with three days left until the auction ends on Thursday, June 16.

Full disclaimer: I love the Honda CRX Si. I’m also the proud owner of a less-than-pristine 1990 example in the infamous Y-49 (Barbados Yellow) paint code. Unfortunately, my CRX Si is currently out of commission, as several mechanical issues await my free time and attention, both of which are in short supply these days. While mine collects dust in the garage, it’s fun fantasizing that I could adopt this fresh-looking ’90 CRX Si. It’s currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.

Bring a Trailer

While I’m not a big fan of the BaT version’s Rio Red (R-63 code) paint, it’s the CRX’s unique shape and clean design that I think looks good in any color. Honda’s designers brilliantly transformed the otherwise square Civic hatchback into a sexy coupelike hatch with a rear roofline that dives into a distinctive Kamm tail. Equally unique is the CRX’s translucent tail panel, which further contributes to the cabin’s airy vibe and excellent outward visibility.

Inside, the sportiness continues with its exclusive two-seater configuration. A pair of nicely bolstered buckets with cloth upholstery and red-striped inserts provide support and a good amount of comfort. Back in 1990, the CRX Si didn’t have airbags, let alone touchscreens or digital frippery. Its dashboard is refreshingly simple, with clear analog gauges and a center stack slightly canted towards the driver. In typical Honda fashion, the flat surface on top of the dash was designed to incorporate functional storage space.

Bring a Trailer

At the heart of every ’90 CRX Si is a 105-hp 1.6-liter inline-four. That output is puny by modern standards, but with a curb weight that’s similarly low compared with contemporary sport compacts, its power-to-weight ratio helps it feel peppier than the numbers indicate. Plus, it only came with a five-speed manual gearbox, so swapping cogs to keep the fuel-injected 16-valve four-pot on boil continues to contribute to the fun factor.

Although it’s a front-wheel-drive car, the CRX Si has surprisingly neutral handling. For its second and final generation (1988–1991), the spunky two-door adopted a more sophisticated suspension setup that independently flexes at all four corners. Compared with regular CRX models of the same vintage, the Si has a thicker front anti-roll bar, a rear anti-roll bar, stiffer shocks, and wider tires mounted on 14-inch rims. In 1990, it also adopted standard four-wheel disc brakes as well as some other cosmetic updates.

The version in this BaT listing shows 12,000 miles on the odometer, however, its Carfax report includes inconsistencies and there are other exemptions that mean its actual mileage is unknown. This and several minor scuff marks shown in the photos are the blemishes that accompany this 1990 CRX Si, which currently has a high bid of $20,000. The auction ends in three days on Thursday, June 16.

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