Last Month in BMW – August 2025

It’s time for another blog edition of Last Month in BMW! What do you think of the new format? Would you prefer to read or watch it? Or… Would you prefer an audio version so you can listen on the go? Either way… Let’s get back to business. Another month has passed, which means more BMW news has happened. Here’s a little compilation of some of the top stories that happened in the BMW world in August of 2025. This is Last Month in BMW!

The 2026 BMW iX3 Is Made from Beer Cans

For years now, everyone has been talking about how we need to recycle. Well, for years, recycled materials have been used to make car parts, probably one of the more famous ones being Ford experimenting with using shredded money in certain trim pieces in the early 2010s. Well, BMW’s next generation iX3 will have 1/3 of its weight made from recycled materials! This is about 1630 pounds. The majority of this material is aluminum and plastic.

BMW states this will not mean quality will suffer and claims it uses much lower CO2 to produce these parts. As I have ALWAYS said when it comes to using recycled material and even plant based material such as the new “carbon fiber” made from flax, with this costing manufacturers less to make the parts, will that cost savings ever be passed down to the consumers? With multiple automotive journal outlets estimating a starting price of around $60,000… The answer is no. 

Story source: 
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/07/new-bmw-ix3-uses-recycled-materials-33-percent-its-weight/

Goodbye, BMW Z4!

It is said that all good things must come to an end and that is where we are with the BMW Z4. 

It is rumored that May of 2026 will be the last of the G29 BMW Z4 and there will not be a refresh. It is rumored though that BMW will release a Final Edition Z4. While it seems the last few Final Editions have gone to Japan, the US is likely to get this one. What will it feature? Who knows. Since it hasn’t even been officially announced, there can only be speculation. 

Have you ever owned a Z4? Will you consider getting one of the last G29 variants, or maybe even a Final Edition? Let us know in the comments. While it’s sad to see it go, it makes sense since the next Supra will be a home grown JDM car, and still to this day people talk about how the Supra and the Z4 are the same car.

Story source:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/05/bmw-z4-final-edition-coming-report/ 

Europe Is Feeling the Buzz

Electric, that is… While EV sales might be slowing down in the US, stricter regulations and imposing deadlines in Europe are keeping EV sales alive. BMW stated that one in four vehicles sold by the BMW Group are EVs. The BMW Group of course includes BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce, as well as BMW Motorrad (though the motorcycle brand was not counted in these sales.)

While BMW still opposes the internal combustion engine ban set to go into effect in 2035 in Europe, people are just caving and buying EVs. While it’s important to note this ban still could be changed, it shows the direction the European Union officials want to go regardless. BMW has its own goal of wanting to have half of their sales be EVs by 2030.

BMW also has other tricks up its sleeve though to maintain that “power of choice” they promised by including hydrogen powered vehicles, and HVO100, or Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil compatible engines, that allow HVO100 fuel to be used instead of diesel in their modern diesel engines. Note that according to Prema Energy, HVO fuels cost about 10 to 15% more compared to traditional diesel…

Which would you rather? Good ol’ gas, diesel, HVO100, hydrogen, a plug-in hybrid, or a full EV?

Story source:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/01/one-in-four-cars-sold-bmw-group-europe-is-electric/ 

Austria Is Leading the Charge

While it’s well known now that most of BMW’s EV batteries are made in China, those batteries have to power electric motors, and the future of those motors will be in Austria. While the most recent motors have been made in the Steyr plant for a year now, the newest ones will cut energy loss by 40%, weight by 10%, and costs by 20%. (Don’t get me started on the cost thing again…)

As we mentioned way back in Episode 12 with the Hungarian police forces getting their iX3s soon to be built right in their home country, that is where the first shipment of these new electric motors will be going.

These motors range from 268 horsepower to 402 horsepower, with a quad-motor EV having the potential of 1,341 horsepower according to the BMW Blog. Wow!

Story source:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/01/bmw-next-gen-electric-motors-series-production/ 

Factory BMW-Powered Mercedes? 

BMW vs. Mercedes? More like BMW x Mercedes! 

Not a click bait and exactly how it sounds… BMW engines could be placed in Mercedes vehicles from the factory. Let’s face it… With vehicle prices going up and up, tariffs being a thing, and stricter regulations in certain geographical regions growing, car manufacturers are finding it harder than ever (besides 2020) to sell vehicles at a low enough price for people to buy, but still make the profits they want.

Mercedes-Benz made a goal to go all-electric by 2030. Well, while EV sales are still happening, they are starting to slow. The people who want them seem to have them, and the people who don’t want them aren’t getting them unless forced to. This is putting Benz in a tough spot. They seemed to have put all of their R&D eggs into one, electrified basket, and now it’s starting to metaphorically short circuit.

The German car maker decided to turn to China to make some quick, cheap engines, but with tariffs on Chinese products stuck on a seemingly never ending rollercoaster, they realized that might not be the best financial decision. We as average consumers just see “research and development” as a term, but there is an unbelievable amount of money and time that goes into making something as complicated as an engine that is to be mass produced and reliable.

Both of those things seem to be a bit on the lower side for Mercedes. While not written in stone yet, the two companies seem to be in talks with placing BMW internal combustion engines into "non-enthusiast" Benz models. While plenty of parts from other brands find themselves in unexpected vehicles from different manufacturers all the time, the power plant of a BMW finding itself in probably its most direct competitor is pretty big.

From a financial standpoint, both companies win. BMW makes money off the engine sales of their proven, well built, and thoroughly tested engines, and Mercedes doesn’t have to spend money on any R&D to develop one. Sure, they will have to figure out some electronics, fitment, and training, but the big part… Actually creating the engine… That’s been done by BMW.

What do you think? Since these will be going into their lower spec vehicles, does it really matter? Do you think BMW should maybe make less money and refuse to help their competitor? Let us know your thoughts!

Story sources:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/21/mercedes-bmw-engine-alliance-2027/
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/28/bmw-engines-mercedes-partnership-analysis/ 

Was the BMW i8 Supposed to Have A V10?

Everyone can recognize a BMW i8 instantly. It’s sleek, iconic, and a flop for BMW. Looks can only carry a vehicle so far, especially if it looks like a supercar. People expect supercar performance. A properly specced Mustang GT around the same time at $45,000 could average a faster 0–60 speed compared to an i8 that had a price tag up to around $165,000. Not cool. As we mentioned exactly a year ago in Episode 9 for August 2024, there were still some i8s collecting dust on dealer lots.

What if the BMW i8 had an internal combustion engine? What if that engine was a V10? Well… It almost did.

Back in 2008, the M1 Hommage was designed to be a modern interpretation of the BMW M1, which was nearing its 30th anniversary of existence. The M1 Hommage eventually morphed into the i8. The 5L S85B50 V10 was proposed to power the soon-to-be supercar. For those of you that remember, something else came out in 2008: a massive financial crisis that did many things to global economies, including sending fuel prices to the moon.

BMW decided something more efficient would be best. Well, the i8 achieved that with a WIDE range of MPG reports from high 20s, low 40s, mid 50s, and even almost 150 miles per gallon. With the S85 getting a real world max of about 14 miles per gallon, BMW achieved its goal of a more fuel efficient car at the cost of losing the “super” in supercar.

Was it the right move? Who knows. As mentioned, there were still some new ones sitting on dealer lots last year, but did it actually sell more than if it was a V10? Not sure. If someone in 2008 was willing to drop over $150,000 on a car, the cost of fuel was probably not a concern. A Camry? Sure! One of the most expensive cars BMW made at the time? Hard no.

Story source:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/16/bmw-i8-s85-v10-origins/ 

THX Vibes from BMW Neue Klasse Anyone?

With the Neue Klasse coming, many enthusiasts are asking what the naturally silent EVs will sound like. While we covered this in depth in Episode 17 about HypersonX, BMW has posted a Reel on their Instagram about how the Neue Klasse will sound in Sport Mode.

BMW states “the vehicle gives the impression of moving between different three-dimensional layers of sound, thus transporting the feeling of speed and BMW-typical driving dynamics authentically into the cabin.”

To me, it sounds like a modernized THX Certified sound from back in the day. It’s still unknown at this point if BMW will allow you to turn it off or not, but I guess time will tell.

What do you think of it? Does it inspire performance, or is it some futuristic gimmick? 

Story source:
https://www.bmwblog.com/2025/08/11/bmw-neue-klasse-sound-sport-mode/ 

And THAT’S That…

Well, there you have it. That’s some of the top news from last month in the BMW world wrapping up this new written segment of Last Month in BMW. Which was your favorite story from August? Let us know in the comments. Stay tuned to the BimmerTech blog to see what happens next in the world of BMW, and don’t forget to subscribe to the BimmerTech YouTube channel for installation videos, product reviews, and so much more!