The BMW Z4 concept promises to bring shark-nose styling back to the brand

By Ronan Glon Published August 16, 2017

BMW is traveling to this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to give fans a preview of its next roadster. As its name clearly implies, the Concept Z4 is an early look at the next-generation BMW Z4 that the German company is currently developing with partner Toyota.

The Concept Z4 is sharp, sporty, and futuristic. It remains a two-seater, but it’s considerably more low-slung than the last Z4 BMW stopped building about a year ago. Its front end signals the return of the so-called shark nose, a styling cue that defined BMWs of all shapes and sizes from the 1960s to the 1990s. Wide kidney grilles with mesh inserts and swept-back headlights bring the Concept Z4 in line with the company’s current design language.

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When viewed from the side, the concept is characterized by a low front end that suggests the engine is front-mid-mounted, a long hood, and a raked A-pillar. It boasts the traditional roadster proportions that get an enthusiast’s heart pumping. The roll bars are integrated into a pair of tunnels that begin right after the passenger compartment and gently slope down towards the rear of the car to echo some of BMW’s classic roadsters.

Based on the snazzy looks alone, the Concept Z4 will fit right in at Pebble Beach, where it will share lawn space with some of the world’s most sought-after vintage machines. BMW chose to focus on design, and it’s not telling us what’s under the hood. The company nonetheless suggests the Concept Z4 is one of the most driver-focused two-seater roadsters it has ever built.

“The BMW Concept Z4 is an all-out driving machine. Stripping the car back to the bare essentials allows the driver to experience all the ingredients of motoring pleasure with supreme directness. This is total freedom on wheels,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, the senior vice president of BMW’s design department.

We have good news if you like what you see. You can’t buy the Concept Z4, but it will spawn a production model that’s tentatively scheduled to go on sale in 2018. That means we’ll likely see the third-generation Z4 for the first time next year at the Geneva Auto Show, and it will arrive in showrooms in time for the 2019 model year. Toyota’s version of the car will resurrect the storied Supra nameplate when it arrives at about the same time.

The concept isn’t the only thing we’ll see from BMW in Pebble Beach. The company will show the 8 Series Concept in the United States for the very first time. Introduced at the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance, it accurately previews an upcoming production model. It is also entering two classic race cars — a 1975 3.0 CSL and a 1972 Alpina 2002ti — in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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Waymo faces questions about its use of onboard cameras for AI training, ads targeting

Two people exit a Waymo taxi.

In an iconic scene from the 2002 sci-fi film Minority Report, on-the-run Agent John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, struggles to walk through a mall as he’s targeted by a multitude of personalized ads from the likes of Lexus, Guinness and American Express, everytime hidden detectors identify his eyes.
It was clearly meant as a warning about a not-so-desirable dystopian future.
Yet, 23 years later that future is at least partlially here in the online world and threatens to spread to other areas of daily life which are increasingly ‘connected’, such as the inside of cars. And the new testing grounds, according to online security researcher Jane Manchun Wong, might very well be automated-driving vehicles, such as Waymo’s robotaxis.
On X, Wong unveiled an unreleased version of Waymo’s privacy policy that suggests the California-based company is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including interior cameras, to train generative AI models and to offer targetted ads.
“Waymo may share data to improve and analyze its functionality and to tailor products, services, ads, and offers to your interests,” the Waymo’s unreleased privacy statement reads. “You can opt out of sharing your information with third parties, unless it’s necessary to the functioning of the service.”
Asked for comments about the unreleased app update, Waymo told The Verge that it contained “placeholder text that doesn’t accurately reflect the feature’s purpose”.
Waymo’s AI-models “are not designed to use this data to identify individual people, and there are no plans to use this data for targeted ads,” spokesperson Julia Ilina said.
Waymo’s robotaxis, which are operating on the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin, do contain onboard cameras that monitor riders. But Ilina says these are mainly used to train AI models for safety, finding lost items, check that in-car rules are followed, and to improve the service.
The new feature is still under development and offers riders an opportunity to opt out of data collection, Ilina says.
But as we all get used to ads targeting based on everything that’s somehow connected to the web, it seems a once-distant vision of the future may be just around the corner.

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Waymo’s driverless cars are about to begin an overseas adventure

Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous cars are about to appear on streets outside of the U.S. for the first time.

The company on Wednesday announced on social media that its autonomous cars will be driving onto the streets of Tokyo, Japan, “soon,” with some reports suggesting the rollout will begin as early as next week.

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Buy Now, Upgrade Later: Slate’s $25K Truck Flips the Script on EVs

many hybrids rank as most reliable of all vehicles evs progress consumer reports cr tout cars 0224

A new electric vehicle startup—quietly backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos—is building something bold in Michigan. Not just a car, but a whole new idea of what an EV company can be. Slate Auto is a stealthy new automaker with one mission: ditch the luxury-first EV playbook and start from the affordable —which most drivers actually seek.
The start-up has been operating out of public sight since 2022, until TechCrunch found out about its existence. Of course, creating a little mystery about a potentially game-changing concept is a well-tested marketing approach.
But Slate truly seems to approach EVs in a very different way than most: It isn’t debuting with a six-figure spaceship-on-wheels. Instead, it's targeting the holy grail of EV dreams: a two-seat electric pickup truck for just $25,000. Yep, twenty-five grand. That’s less than a tricked-out golf cart in some neighborhoods. Slate is flipping the Tesla model on its head. Tesla, but also the likes of Lucid, BMW, and to a certain degree, Rivian, all started with high-end vehicles to build brand and bankroll future affordable car. But Slate wants to start with the people’s pickup—and letting it grow with you.
This isn’t just a cheap car. It’s a modular, upgradeable EV that’s meant to be personalized over time. Buy the basic model now, then add performance, tech, or lifestyle upgrades later—kind of like building your own dream ride one paycheck at a time. It’s a DIY car for a generation raised on customization and subscriptions. The company even trademarked the phrase: “We built it. You make it.”
Backing up this idea is an equally bold strategy: selling accessories, apparel, and utility add-ons à la Harley-Davidson and Jeep’s MoPar division. You’re not just buying a vehicle; you’re buying into a lifestyle. Think affordable EV meets open-source car culture.
Slate's approach isn't just novel—it's almost rebellious. At a time when other startups risk folding under the weight of their own lofty ambitions, Slate is keeping things lean, scalable, and customer focused. The company reportedly plans to source major components like battery packs and motors from outside suppliers, keeping manufacturing costs low while focusing energy on design, experience, and upgrade paths.
Sure, it’s all been kept under wraps—until now. With plans to begin production near Indianapolis by next year, the wraps are about to come off this EV underdog.
While, at least in spirit, the U.S. market has been dominated by high-end EVs, Slate’s “start small, scale with you” philosophy might be just the jolt the industry needs.

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