Haptics, the tactile feedback technology behind how something feels is a big component of a car’s overall driving and user experience.

Just as there’s a sound engineering department at BMW, it’s no surprise then that there exists a dedicated haptics engineering department. The video below provides some insight into haptics development at BMW.

Little more than a year before the EU6 exhaust emission standard comes into effect in September 2014, BMW is increasing the number of models that already fulfil the more stringent emission regulations. As early as in the summer of 2013, almost all models featuring the BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine will comply with the EU6 classification as standard. Moreover, by the summer of 2013, further four-wheel drive variants of the BMW 1 Series and the BMW 3 Series are to be added to the model range of the BMW brand. Innovative functions, which can be used in conjunction with the ECO PRO mode, guarantee even better efficiency. Enhanced driving pleasure is provided thanks to the Launch Control function, which in future will be included in … CONTINUED

German based Solarwatt and BMW have partnered to provide a solar-panel system to be placed on home/garage roofs as part of a broader support system for the upcoming BMW i3 and i8 vehicles. The systems will be branded as 360° ELECTRIC which aim to be both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, bringing efficient solar powered charging to your car.

Potential customers will be able to purchase the Solarwatt system at the same time as they purchase their BMWi or at a later time. The goal here is of course to create a truly sustainable backbone for owning a BMWi.

BMW of North America and Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that BMW and MINI customers will receive a one-year subscription to SiriusXM’s All Access Package when purchasing any Model Year 2013 or newer BMW vehicle, MINI vehicle or BMW Motorcycle equipped with a satellite radio starting this month. The All Access Package offers SiriusXM’s most complete programming line-up, including premium channels and access to SiriusXM Internet Radio.

“Our customers expect exceptional performance, and giving them access to every premium channel available on their Satellite Radio in the vehicle as well as SiriusXM Internet Radio anywhere makes SiriusXM an even better value,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW of North America. “All Access will allow our customers to listen to the programming they … CONTINUED

BMW today announced four new partners to provide BMW Approved Apps for BMW Apps option for Apple iPhone. The latest BMW Approved Apps include Audible (downloadable audio books and other spoken-word content), Glympse (location sharing), Rhapsody (subscription music service) and TuneIn (Internet radio). These newest integrations broaden the flexibility and usability of the industry’s most comprehensive smartphone integration.

“We regularly identify apps that our owners rely on as part of their everyday life, and adapt them for an in-vehicle experience they’ll find safe, useful and engaging,” said Phil Johnston, Product Manager for the BMW Group Apps Platform from the BMW Group Technology Office. “Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn were natural additions to the family of BMW Apps Ready Apps.”

Johnston continued, “Integrating access to digital spoken-word content … CONTINUED

Last week, when BMW revealed its new ad signature tone [listen here], we mentioned how much development time and attention was paid to all the sounds that a BMW model makes.

BMW has posted a video which provides more insight into this sound design process.

Good news for iPhone 5 owners. The BMW iPhone snap-in adapter for the iPhone 5 is now available, ahead of the original estimated delivery frame of June 2013.

When Apple released the iPhone 5 in September of last year, with it came a change to its connector from the previous 30-pin to the new 8-pin ‘Lightning’ connector. This change meant that the newest iPhone would not work with BMW’s past iPhone snap-in-adapters.

The new adapter fits the following BMW models with Combox: E8x 1 Series, E9x 3 Series, E6x 5 Series, F1x models, X1, F25 X3, E70 X5.

The part number for the new iPhone 5 snap-in adapter is: 84.21-2 338 568-01 and it currently retails for €399 euros in Europe.

Please note that the iPhone 5 media span-in … CONTINUED

From summer 2013, BMW Night Vision will additionally feature a specific animal recognition system that extends beyond the reach of the main-beam headlights. An infrared thermal imaging camera mounted in the BMW kidney grille is able to detect heat-emitting objects from a distance of some 100 metres, while distinguishing between humans and animals by the level of heat.

If BMW Night Vision anticipates a potential collision with an animal, the Dynamic Light Spots start to flash at the animal in a targeted manner. The instrument display simultaneously flags up the symbol of a deer. In the event of acute danger, the on-board system additionally emits an acoustic warning.