BMW
British Thieves Love Stealing The BMW X5
Lock up your Chelsea tractors: the BMW X5 is the most stolen vehicle in the UK, according to a survey conducted by the research firm Tracker. Tracker surveyed the 10 most stolen and recovered cars in the UK. Rather unsurprisingly, the entire list is comprised of luxury vehicles, including the BMW M3 and Audi RS4….
BMW And Brilliance Create 5-Series Plug-In Hybrid
BMW and Chinese automaker Brilliance have joined forces to create a plug-in hybrid version of the 5-Series long wheelbase sedan sold in the Chinese market. Set to be revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, the 5-Series plug-in will back an unspecified displacement turbocharged engine making 215 horsepower and a 94 horsepower electric motor….
Audi Q3 Sketches Released
Audi has released a number of sketches showing their forthcoming Q3 crossover, based on the Volkswagen Tiguan, that will serve as an entry-level vehicle for the brand. The Q3 is unlikely to come to North America, but its unveiling at the Shanghai Auto Show should give a clue as to where Audi anticipates a fair…
BMW May Use A Range Extender For Electric Vehicles
Has BMW, the maker of the ultimate (electric) driving machines decided to follow Chevrolet’s example? Word from Munich today is that BMW’s head of electrical components, Dr. Christian Schmidt, said it is weighing the possibility of a range-extended engine to pair to electric vehicles. For some time now BMW has said it would consider an…
Current M3 Marks the End of Naturally Aspirated M Cars for BMW
With the 2012 M5 set to go into production later this year, BMW brand fans will begin immediate speculation on the next M3. That car, unlike all of its predecessors, will be turbocharged. Yes, the era of the naturally aspirated M cars is over, reports Autoblog. Currently the only NA model left in the M…
BMW i3 Confirmed As Mid-Engine, Rear-Drive Green Machine
BMW’s in-development electric car, the i3 has been confirmed as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a mid-mounted electric motor. It is expected to be for sale by 2013. Its motor support platform was developed in house and made mostly of carbon fiber. The motor will be positioned ahead of the rear wheels, and the serviceable battery…
BMW M6 CSL Axed Before Production
BMW reportedly considered creating a stripped-out CSL version of its M6 luxury coupe, but ended up axing the project after the company could not justify a business case for the car. The CSL would have had an active aerodynamics package, 220 lbs stripped from the car and upgraded power levels, but BMW ended up nixing…
2012 BMW M5 Concept Officially Revealed Ahead of Shanghai Debut [Video]
After leaked photos hit the web this past weekend, BMW has released official images of the 2012 BMW M5 Concept. Set to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show in just two weeks time, this concept car is a near visual match to the production model, with the gaping M front fascia, flared fenders, huge wheels…
BMW Concept M5 Leaked Ahead of Shanghai Debut [Breaking News]
BMW‘s next M5 might just be the most eagerly anticipated car of the year and thanks to some leaked photos from a recent event in Munich, you no longer have to wait until the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall to see what it looks like. Truth be told, this is not the actual 2012 M5,…
Auto Sales Up 17 Percent In March, Ford Outsells General Motors
Despite higher gas prices and panic over Japan’s earthquake, and its subsequent effect on auto production, March 2011 was a positive month for the industry, with sales up 17 percent compared to the previous year. Among the Big 3, Ford managed to outsell General Motors for the first time in a year, with a 16…
Lightweight BMW M3 Sedan To Debut At Nurburgring M Festival
Despite the stupid April Fool’s prank involving the BMW M3 Pickup, this announcement is not a joke. BMW is bringing a lightweight version of their M3 sedan to the M Festival, an event to be held at the Nurburgring 24 Hours race in late 2011. Positioned as a stopgap between the standard M3 and the…
BMW M3 Pickup is a Joke That’s in Poor Taste – Happy April Fools
It would have been a great April Fool’s joke, had spy photographers not already revealed the new BMW M3 Pickup. Yes, it’s real. But no, you won’t ever be able to buy one – not unless you manage to stumble across this thing on eBay a decade from now. Easily the best idea since the…
Report: Asian Cars Preferred by Women, But Not Asian Women
Yesterday, we told you about the rising influence women of different ethnicities have when it comes to vehicle purchases. And now, R.L. Polk & Co. has released new information about the correlation between women and the Asian automakers. The Asian OEMs in question are Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, KIA, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru and Mazda,…
G-Power Tunes BMW M3 GTS to 720-HP
As if improving on BMW‘s M3 wasn’t enough with the M3 GTS, German tuner G-Power has gone on to improve the raw and track-ready machine further. G-Power is proud to announce the arrival of their first three G-Power BMW M3 GTS models, pumping up the 4.4L V8 from 450-hp to all new heights: 720-hp. Stroking…
Porsche Panamera Exceeding Expectations, Driving Conquest Sales
New luxury vehicles tend to post exceptional sales within the first year or so of their introduction, only to taper off to more reasonable levels as the vehicle’s life cycle continues. Not so for the Porsche Panamera, a vehicle derided by Porsche loyalists that has gone on to be the brand’s best-selling vehicle. In 2010,…
BMW Bringing Limited Matte Edition M3 To China
Last year, BMW gave China the M3 Tiger Edition, and it looks like the limited edition M3 was well received in the Chinese market. BMW is following up the Tiger Edition with a Matte Edition M3, another limited offering strictly to the Chinese Market. Performance won’t be changing with the Matte Edition M3, but the…
BMW 4-Series May Appear As Rival To Audi A5 Sportback
BMW is planning to expand its range yet again, with reports of an upcoming 4-Series lineup that would compete against the Audi A5 Sportback in the burgeoning sporty hatchback segment. Rumors have been flying about a possible 3-Series GT, a complement to the crossover-like 5-Series GT (shown above), but this may in fact be part of the…
BMW M Coupe With V8 Power Prepares For One Lap Of America [Video]
The guys at the well-regarded motorsports blog Axis Of Oversteer are building a car for the annual One Lap of America race, and their weapon of choice, a BMW M Coupe, looks to be the ultimate expression of what the Bavarian brand can do, mating an older M Coupe chassis with a fully built E39…
2012 BMW M5 Rumored to Get 6-Speed Manual in North America Only
Usually when it comes to high-performance vehicles the discussion almost always has to deal with the car’s engine. Not so with the upcoming 2012 BMW M5. With a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 all but confirmed, the interwebs has been all atwitter about what transmissions will be offered. Assumed to be a dual-clutch unit all along, then…
Kia Most Improved Brand in ALG Perceived Quality Study
And the findings of its most recent one (Spring 2011); indicated that of all automakers that sell cars and trucks in the US; the most improved in the mainstream category was Kia Motors.
Manhart Racing Builds 724-HP BMW M3 V8RS
For some people, BMW‘s E92 M3 coupe is a near-perfect vehicle. It offers great looks, a BMW driving experience, luxury, sportiness and the unmistakable performance that only an M-series can offer. But to some, 420-hp out of the M3’s V8 might not be enough to satisfy their needs. That’s where Manhart Racing comes in, transplanting…
BMW 1M GTS Rumored as New Technology Concept to Debut at Tokyo Auto Show
Rumors of a possible GTS version of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe have surfaced, with the car’s debut set for the Tokyo Auto Show this fall. According to BMW insider Scott27 posting on GermanCarForum.com, the concept car will be based on a current M car, but one that is also “outgoing.” While the M3…
Three-Cylinder Turbo Engines In BMW’s Future
There once was a time, when turbocharged engines translated to big horsepower and big fuel consumption. The new generation of turbocharged engines are still producing very decent power outputs, but their main concern is to improve fuel-economy, and a company that is getting the most out of this type of set-up is BMW. They have…
BMW 1M: The Official Safety Car of MotoGP [Gallery]
Next time you watch a MotoGP race, be sure to note that BMW is always out in front of Mercedes. Sure neither automaker competes in the F1 of motorcycle racing, but while Mercedes’ AMG division sponsors the Ducati team, BMW is providing the pace car. That pace car is based on the new 1 Series…
