BMW has announced the U.S. launch of a new car sharing service known as ReachNow. The service will initially launch in Seattle, Washington, but BMW is hoping to roll out ReachNow to three additional cities by the end of 2016.

ReachNow is launching with a fleet of 370 vehicles made up of cars like the BMW i3, BMW 3-Series and MINI Cooper. ReachNow users can reserve one of those vehicles via a smartphone application that is available through Apple’s App store and Google Play. BMW promises that registering for ReachNow will be snap, with the approval process taking between two and three minutes.

“We are currently witnessing an extremely exciting period in the development of the automotive industry,” said BMW board member Peter Schwarzenbauer. “Our customers rightly expect uncomplicated and fast solutions to their individual mobility needs, especially in metropolitan regions. This is why we are supplementing our classic business model with additional services that make life on the road easier for people in big cities.”

In addition to being ReachNow’s pilot city, Seattle will also serve as the location for the division’s North American headquarters.

Like other ride sharing services, ReachNow’s fleet will be scattered throughout the city. Users can identify and rent the vehicle nearest to them via the mobile app. Users can also request a specific vehicle and have it delivered to their location. Another perk of ReachNow is that you can request a chauffeur to go along with your car, which makes the service a little like Uber. MINI owners can also rent their vehicles through ReachNow, although BMW didn’t release further details on that part of the project.

The ReachNow service requires a one-time registration fee of $39. All vehicles are charged at the same rate — $0.49 per minute during use and $0.30 when the vehicle is parked. Rates are capped at $50 for three hours, $80 for 12 hours and $110 for 24 hours.

BMW hasn’t hinted at which cities are next in line for ReachNow, but the company eventually plans to have the car sharing service in 10 major U.S. cities.

Ford’s Mustang has continued to experience strong demand in Europe, rising to the top of Germany’s best-selling sports cars.

The iconic American pony car first arrived in Germany last summer. Sales quickly accelerated, outpacing all other sports coupes in March, according to numbers published by the Federal Motor Transport Authority.

The company sold 780 units in the month, taking a narrow lead over several native favorites including the Porsche 911, Audi TT and Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe.

“Germans have fallen in love with the Mustang,” said Ford Germany managing director Wolfgang Kopplin. “Driving a Mustang GT on the Autobahn is a one of a kind experience for people who love cars.”

Ford significantly expanded the Mustang’s global reach when the sixth generation arrived on the market, delivering to more than 100 markets. The latest redesign includes the first right-hand-drive build for the UK, Australia and dozens of other countries.

Infiniti has confirmed pricing details for the Q50 Red Sport 400 ahead of its arrival in showrooms across the country.

Announced in December, the Red Sport range topper features a high-output twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 with 400 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. The same engine produces 300 ponies for the midrange Q50, while a 2.0-liter turbo four delivers 208 horsepower for the entry-level model.

Buyers will be able to purchase the Red Sport in rear-wheel-drive form for $48,855 (including $905 freight), while the all-wheel-drive edition fetches $50,855.

The latest Q50 features sport brakes with four-piston calipers up front and two-piston clamps in the rear, along with sport-tuned suspension and the company’s next-generation Direct Adaptive Steering system. The Red Sport package is visually distinguished by unique exhaust tips and exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels, staggered for the RWD model.

“The Q50 Red Sport 400 carves out a unique space in the sports sedan segment – with no other rival offering this much horsepower priced under $50,000,” said Infiniti Americas VP Randy Parker.

McLaren is not an automaker with a racing program – it’s a motorsport outfit that also builds street cars, and that’s an important distinction to make. And because it dictates so much of the company’s design philosophy, when McLaren announced the limited-production 675LT as the most track-focused offering in the Super Sports series, that descriptor of road course capability carried significantly more weight than it would from a company that normally builds commuting appliances.

But it’s also important to consider what the term “track focused” means to a company that made its name dominating road racing circuits across the globe in the Can-Am series during the 1960s. In a straight line the 675LT is only marginally quicker than the 650S it’s based on, and its top speed is actually a few mph shy of its older sibling, despite commanding a price tag that’s nearly $100,000 higher.

Rather than chasing easily digested performance metrics, when developing the 675LT McLaren’s attention was pointed squarely at the fundamentals of competitive race car design: Reducing mass, improving aerodynamic stability, and adding mechanical grip.

Ultimately the 675LT is still a road car though, and while inherent compromises exist in a vehicle that’s intended to play the role of both an unhinged track monster and a usable daily driver, it’s remarkable how well the 675LT manages to exceed expectation, regardless of situational context.

Longtail pedigree
While the original McLaren F1 was conceived as a road car, it quickly gained a reputation as a force to be reckoned with in motorsport, with the F1 GTR winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans on it first attempt in 1995. But in order to stay competitive amongst an ever-changing field, McLaren continued to develop the racer, resulting in the F1 GTR “Longtail” for the 1997 racing season.

However, FIA homologation requirements specified that the company needed to produce a road-going version of the new racer, and that yielded the F1 GT Longtail. Just three examples of the F1 GT Longtail were built, making it among the rarest and most sought-after cars the company has built.

While the 675LT pays homage to that car, rather than being more than two feet longer than the 650S (as the F1 GT is when compared to the standard F1), it gains just an inch and half of length, yet it boasts an active “Longtail” air brake rear wing that’s fifty percent larger than what you’d find on other Super Series models.

It’s also lighter than the 650S, dropping more than 200 pounds by way of carbon fiber body panels, a new titanium exhaust system, light weight wheels, suspension components handed down the from the P1, and a number of other subtle weight-saving measures, resulting in a curb weight under 3,000 pounds.

There’s more power as well. Motivating the 675LT is the same 3.8-liter, twin turbocharged V8 you’d find in the rest of McLaren’s lineup, but here more than half the engine’s components are unique to the 675LT, resulting in a peak output of 666 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, increases of 25 hp and 16 lb-ft over the 650S.

Along with spring rates that are 27 percent stiffer up front and 63 stiffer in the rear, the 675LT certainly has the hardware to back up its claims of being an even more capable supercar than the 650S was. But track prowess and street-friendly manners usually don’t go hand in hand, and since this Mac is designed to wear a license plate, substantial effort has been made to ensure that the 675LT is also livable on a day to day basis.

Split personality
Like most supercars, ingress over the threshold of its one-piece carbon fiber monocoque tub is rarely a graceful operation. But once you’re situated inside the 675LT, it’s a surprisingly comfortable place to be.

You’d be forgiven if you expected the fixed-back sport seats – which are plucked directly from the P1 – to get a bit grating during long drives. However, truth be told they managed to cradle my 6’3″ frame securely without feeling abusive during some extended stints behind the wheel. While I wouldn’t call the 675LT a grand touring machine, it’s notably more civilized than a car like the Dodge Viper ACR.

That theme extends to the revised suspension as well. While the spring rates are stiffer, McLaren’s ProActive damping and anti-roll control system has been retuned as well, allowing for a reasonably compliant ride around town with the system in its tamest setting.

Of course if your public streets are anything like ones found in Los Angeles, you’ll probably be taking it easy most of the time anyway, as the 675LT’s 80 percent larger carbon fiber front splitter threatens to kiss the pavement at the mere suggestion of uneven ground in front of it. But you’ll quickly realize that’s a very small price to pay after you’ve found a stretch of asphalt where you can open up the taps.

On the road
With a 0-60 mph sprint of 2.8 seconds the 675LT might only be a tenth of a second quicker than the 650S was, but let’s not forget that the 650S is an absurdly capable machine in its own right. As such, when you fire up the 675LT’s launch control mode and hear those turbos spool up behind you, you’d best have a lot of open road ahead because you’re about to see all of it in very quick succession. A quarter mile goes by in just 10.5 seconds, and given enough road, the 675LT will continue to accelerate all the way up 205 mph.

Even wearing ultra-sticky Pirelli PZero Trofeo R rubber and electronically limiting torque in first gear, the 675LT still struggles to maintain grip – not only off the line, but just about any time the one buries the throttle at under 70 miles per hour or so. Fortunately, McLaren has done an excellent job tuning its traction control system – a nanny which I would suggest leaving on for all but the most seasoned supercar pilots.

When it hooks though, you’re in for some serious fireworks. Under about 3,500 rpm, there’s not much to write home about regarding this 3.8-liter V8, but once those turbochargers wake up the effect is like being shot out of a cannon. The engine’s bellow – along with its 8,500 rpm redline – effectively plead the case for the 675LT’s new titanium exhaust system, which in turn makes some of the system’s low-speed drone in the cabin more forgivable.

Routing that power to the rear wheels is a revamped version of McLaren’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, which the company says is now capable of swapping cogs in as little as 40 milliseconds. While the gearbox in the 650S left little to complain about in terms of responsive shifting, the 675LT is even snappier, providing upshifts and downshifts that are delivered with the urgency of a bolt-action rifle when the car’s Powertrain mode is set to Sport or Track.

If there was one grievance to be level at the transmission, it might be its programming. When left to its own devices the dual clutch is eager to climb into its highest gears, sometimes making it difficult to decide between possibly giving the car too much throttle at low speed or having to pull the left paddle numerous times in order to find the appropriate gear when you need more response as quickly as possible. Although this is likely by design in the pursuit of low-speed comfort and fuel economy, it can make the McLaren feel a bit lethargic in traffic at times.

Still, much like the noisy carbon ceramic brakes, it’s a minor quibble in comparison to how the car performs when driven the way it was designed to be driven. This car deserves to spend as much time at the race track as possible.

LeftLane‘s bottom line
While the 650S was great to look at and certainly no slouch in the performance department, the 675LT improves upon it in nearly every way. Wild but capable of being corralled, compelling to gaze upon without being gaudy, and comfortable without being boring, the 675LT is perhaps the most well-rounded offering McLaren Automotive has unleashed thus far. Consider it further evidence that the Italians no longer have the supercar market cornered.

Photos by Bradley Iger.

Toyota has detailed plans to establish its third US research facility in Ann Arbor, near the University of Michigan campus.

Known by the monicker TRI-ANN, the new Toyota Research Institute facility will focus on research initiatives related to artificial intelligence, robotics, materials science and other subjects.

A team of 50 researchers and technicians will be tasked with enhancing automobile safety, helping develop a car that is “incapable of causing a crash” regardless of the driver’s skill or condition. The wording suggests the vehicle will take advantage of semi-autonomous technology to help prevent accidents, even if the car is not operating in a fully autonomous mode.

The company also promises to expand access to cars for seniors and individuals with special needs, while exploring potential ‘indoor mobility’ products to move goods or people.

The Ann Arbor campus will complement work already being done at TRI-CAM in Cambridge near MIT, and TRI-PAL in Palo Alto near Stanford.

“TRI was drawn to Ann Arbor because of the strength of the university; the utility of Mcity and the Mobility Transformation Center which we currently sponsor; the promise of the future American Center for Mobility at Willow Run; and the proximity to, and synergies with, our two well-established Toyota Technical Centers nearby,” said TRI chief Dr. Gill Pratt.

The new facility is scheduled to open in June.

Our spy photographers have nabbed the first-ever shots of Alfa Romeo’s upcoming utility vehicle. Called Stelvio, the Alfa Romeo-badged SUV is expected to begin production later this year before going on sale in early 2017.

Although still clad in heavy camouflage, it’s clear that the Stelvio will borrow some design cues from the Giulia sedan, including Alfa’s signature front grille treatment. The rear of the Stelvio is concealed by a tent-like apparatus, but it appears as though the SUV will feature a fast-sloping rear hatch, giving the utility vehicle a sporty appearance that should match its driving dynamics.

Alfa will offer a Quadrifoglio Verde version of the Stelvio that should come packing the same Ferrari-sourced 2.9L twin-turbocharged V6 found in the Guilia Quadrifoglio Verde. However, given the wheel/tire package and the smallish brakes on this prototype, it’s probably a lesser version of the Stelvio. Other powertrains will include four- and six-cylinder engines, some of which will be of the diesel variety. The Stelvio will ship standard with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive will be available.

Codenamed Tipo 949 D-SUV, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio will debut before the end of 2016, with sales set to commence in early 2017. However, it might take the Stelvio slightly longer to reach dealerships in the United States.