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BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept previews the next 7-Series, not a new 9-Series

The BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept (pictured) is our first look at the next 7-Series The general consensus, when BMW revealed it was taking a concept to preview their vision of a luxury future to the Beijing Motor Show, was that it would be the first look at a new, range-topping BMW 9-Series. But it’s not. In fact, the BMW Vision Future Luxury Concept is a preview of next year’s new BMW 7 Series and previews both the design and technology we can expect when BMW rolls out its challenger to the new Mercedes S Class in 2015.

Production Porsche 918 Spyder – first photo from Pebble Beach

The Porsche 918 Spyder arrives at Pebble Beach The Porsche 918 Spyder has been on its way for quite some time, and we’ve seen it in umpteen guises from 918 Concept to 918 in disguise to 918 in Martini colours. And now we get the real deal – the production version of the 918 Spyder. But rather than a fanfare and a gazillion photos, Porsche has simply posted a single photo on Twitter to announce that the production 918 is at Montery Motor Week.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.