BMW will introduce the next generation of head lights – laser lighting on its BMW i8 – that could cut energy use in half compared to LED lights.

The laser beam headlights will be twice as efficient as LEDs, and can be up to 1,000 times stronger.

BMW will use miniscule 10-micron long laser diodes, which is 100 times smaller than LED units, in the vehicle.

BMW has given out the first details and images of its i3 and i8 models before the concepts are shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show

One of the most notable features of the new design is a bodywork largely made of carbon fibre, described by BMW as a “revolution in automotive design.”

The new material, which has never been used for a car body on a volume-production scale before, offers a weight reduction of between 250 and 350 kilograms, which should considerably lengthen the range and speed of the electric vehicles.

BMW has officially unveiled its new M5, the fifth generation of its popular performance sports saloon.

Sporting a newly-developed high-performance M-series engine, the M5 has been eagerly awaited since a pre-production model appeared earlier this year.

The high-revving 4.4-liter engine has “typical M car thrust,” says BMW, with a power rating of 412kW (552hp) from the twin-turbo V8 engine.

Luxury hotel chain Fairmont is to roll out BMW bikes to all of its worldwide hotels, it confirmed this week.

The bikes program, which was introduced last year at some of the chain’s North American hotels, appears to have proved so popular that it will now be rolled out around the world in time for summer.

The BMW Cruise Bikes, which feature Suntour suspension and a brake routing system, retail at over €800 but are available for Fairmont’s guests to use on a complimentary basis, complete with locks and helmets.

BMW is gearing up to unveil its first electric car under the new BMW i brand, according to reports from Germany.

The Munich-based automaker is set to unveil the i3, the first of two initial all-electric models, this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new model will feature a 100 kW electric motor and a range of 160 kilometers with an expected market launch in 2013.

The BMW i sub-brand was launched earlier this year by the German manufacturer, promising to put two electric vehicles on the road in the shape of the i3 and the i8.

BMW revealed the 328 Hommage concept just before its show debut at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este near Lake Como, Italy last weekend.

Based on the Vision Connected Drive Concept revealed in Geneva, the 328 Hommage is a modern interpretation of the classic sports car from the 1930s.

Bathed in that distinctive diagonal carbon fiber weave, the 328 Hommage focuses on lightweight construction through carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).