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BMW reportedly pondering building 3 and 5 Series models in U.S.

Automotive News Europe is reporting that BMW may be looking into expanding the number of models that the company manufactures here in the States. While the German automaker says that there are no solid plans on the table right now, it’s possible that both the 3 Series and the 5 Series could join the X3, X5 and X6 on the production line at the BMW facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina (shown above). The move is being considered as the U.S. threatens to overtake Germany as the company’s largest auto market. In 2010, the U.S. fell a mere 252 vehicles shy of taking the sales crown from Germany.

BMW currently holds a 2.3-percent market share in the U.S. with 266,000 vehicles sold in America in 2010. With the U.S. economy in a slow but steady state of improvement, the company fully expects to eclipse that number in 2011. As a result, the Spartanburg facility will operate at its full capacity of 240,000 units this year.

So far, it’s unclear as to whether the company would eye building a new facility for the American-built 3 and 5 Series vehicles or if BMW would simply add on to its South Carolina plant.

[Source: Automotive News Europe – sub. req.]

BMW reportedly pondering building 3 and 5 Series models in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 BMW Alpina B7

Alpina Delivers Its Best Impression Of An M7

2011 BMW Alpina B7

2011 BMW Alpina B7 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Try as it might, the BMW M3 Coupe can’t lose the Alpina B7. The two of us are an unlikely automotive pair, playing cat-and-mouse on one long road to nowhere deep in the reaches of an unincorporated area of the California coastal mountains. The air is cool and the canyons are mostly quiet. Only the sound of two wailing V8s breaks the silence.

While the M3 dives into the corners with confidence, the B7 launches out with ferocious conviction. The M3 pulls energetically on the short straights, but the B7 puts its power down with resolve and steadily reels the smaller coupe back in. Even mid-corner, when the M3 is in perfect step, the B7 clenches a slightly wider line but still holds its ground.

We’ve been at this game for more than an hour, and neither of us is willing to raise a white flag. Only the illumination of the low fuel light in the smaller coupe has us calling it quits. Want to learn what it takes to harass an M3 owner?

Gallery: 2011 BMW Alpina B7: Review

2011 BMW Alpina B7

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Review: 2011 BMW Alpina B7 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW: 1 Series M Coupe’s main competitor is… a used M3?

2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 1 Series M Coupe is a car capable of turbocharging the dreams of many an enthusiast, BMW or otherwise – but the question many have is whether it can it turn the dreams of M3 buyers into something less… dreamy. During this week’s Detroit Auto Show press days, we spoke to Dr. Kay Segler, president of BMW M GmbH, about what 1 Series M Coupe means for Bimmer’s performance brand and the M3.

Dr. Segler responded to those worried about the 1 Series M Coupe being better than the M3 with “the M3 is the car of M, the icon, playing in another league. The best feeling is still in an M3.” So even though BMW’s product and technology PR rep Matthew Russell described the 1 Series M as “an M3 in a 1 Series body,” the 1 M is distanced from the M3 by its limited options, including the fact that the M button on the steering wheel only adjusts throttle response, nothing else.

On the other hand, when discussing concerns that the 1 M was engineered so as not to step on the M3’s toes, Segler said “It was never held back at any stage. It is as good as it can be, this was exactly the car to build.” When we asked how much one would have to spend in order to make it better than an M3, we were told that it would make more sense to buy an M3. “It is not a replacement for the M3,” he also said. Russell added, “The M3 is in the middle of its life, it has a long way to go.”

And finally, our favorite answer came when we asked what is the competition for the 1 Series M Coupe, and Russell amusingly remarked, “A certified pre-owned M3.”

What say you? Is BMW just being cocky or does the auto industry offer a true direct competitor for the 1 Series M Coupe?

Click past the break for a comparison chart between the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe and the current BMW M3.

Gallery: 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe: Detroit 2011

2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe

Continue reading BMW: 1 Series M Coupe’s main competitor is… a used M3?

BMW: 1 Series M Coupe’s main competitor is… a used M3? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Thieves swipe $140K BMW 7 Series in Detroit during auto show

2010 BMW 760Li – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Detroit Auto Show is proving to be more eventful for BMW than the automaker had originally intended. As workers were preparing to load a BMW 7 Series onto a transport truck near Detroit’s Westin Book Cadillac hotel, a pair of thieves jumped in and drove off with the German luxury sedan. The car is said to be worth $140,000, and as of this writing, local police have had no luck tracking down the stolen vehicle. Thankfully, this 7 Series is equipped with BMW Assist, which locates a vehicle if it’s stolen, so it’s only a matter of time before cops close in on the BMW bandits.

If some brand new 7 Series parts wind up on Craigslist’s Detroit-area ‘for sale’ section, we’re willing to bet the sale price is too-good-to-be-true for a reason.

Gallery: 2010 BMW 760Li: Quick Spin

2010 BMW 760Li

Photos copyright (C)2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: Thieves swipe $140K BMW 7 Series in Detroit during auto show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW Z4 to get four-cylinder turbo as base engine

Filed under: Convertible, BMW

2011 BMW Z4 sDrive30i

2011 BMW Z4 sDrive30i – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to a Twitter update from the folks at Automobile, BMW will be ditching the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six in the base Z4 roadster in favor of a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant. Big news, yes, but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise since BMW has long flirted with the idea of using turbocharged four-pot mills in its base models like the Z4 sDrive30i and even the 328i.

Details are slim (curse you, 140-character limit), but Automobile states that because this new turbo four would replace the naturally aspirated six, at least 200 horsepower should be on tap. We’d expect a slightly higher output, since the current engine cranks out 255 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque. We certainly won’t mind a turbocharged four-banger with gobs of low-end power under the hood of the Z4, and we’d expect to see this new mill show up within the next year.

Gallery: 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive30i

2011 BMW Z4 sDrive30i

[Source: Automobile via Twitter]

Report: BMW Z4 to get four-cylinder turbo as base engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2011: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible goes topless in the Motor City

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, BMW, Luxury

2012 BMW 650i Convertible

2012 BMW 650i Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery

In addition to the scorched orange 1 Series M Coupe at the BMW booth in Detroit was the new 2012 BMW 650i Convertible. Under the sharply creased (and rather long) hood lies a 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, direct injected V8 that manages to shove out 450 pound-feet of torque between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm. All that grunt will be sent to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.

BMW claims the new 6 Series Convertible can drop its flying-buttress-equipped fabric top in exactly 19 seconds an there’s also a 10.2-inch screen to control the standard iDrive technology package. Not bad, but such niceties are to be expected when you are asked to pay a wallet-busting $91,375 for the privilege of owning one, which you’ll be able to do sometime in the spring of 2011.

Take a gander at the live photos in our high-res image gallery below, and if you decide this is exactly what your garage is missing, now would be a good time to start saving those pennies.

Gallery: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible: Detroit 2011

2012 BMW 650i Convertible

Gallery: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible

Detroit 2011: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible goes topless in the Motor City originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: BMW working on range of front-wheel-drive concepts

Filed under: Europe, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Rumormill

BMW Roundel

When BMW began making noise about bringing front-wheel drive to the table, purists, enthusiasts and fans of the brand immediately busted out the pitchforks and torches. Visions of front-wheel drive 3 Series and 1 Series models were almost enough to induce frenzy (not that a huge number of owners would know the difference…), but if the latest word from BMW Blog is to be believed, the company’s front-wheel drive efforts will be contained to a handful of all-new models.

The news comes courtesy of a BMW insider posting on German Car Forum. Supposedly, the main impetus behind delving into a FWD platform isn’t to increase the company’s average fuel economy as some have guessed. Instead, BMW is looking to make the Mini brand more profitable by sharing platforms with other models under the Roundel.

Those include a new compact BMW roughly the size of a Cooper, as well as an MPV that the insider calls a Compact Gran Sport Tourer. Additionally, there may be room for a crossover-sized front-wheel drive beast as well. Interestingly enough, the report says that the new BMW compact will have proportions similar to those of the Honda CR-Z.

At this point, it’s difficult to say whether or not the source from German Car Forum has their facts straight or not, but so far, this is the most detailed glimpse we’ve gotten into what BMW is up to with its FWD program.

[Source: German Car Forum via BMW Blog]

Rumormill: BMW working on range of front-wheel-drive concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: BMW Unscripted follows Tiffany Coates around the globe

Filed under: Etc., Videos, BMW, Motorcycle

BMW Unscripted Tiffany Coates

BMW Unscripted: Tiffany Coates – Click above to watch video after the jump

The last time we heard from BMW Unscripted, an ancient 5 Series was stalking the tall grass of South Africa in search of meerkats. Now the company has turned its attention to Tiffany Coates and her BMW R80GS. The duo have traversed the globe together, ranging over five continents and covering untold miles in the process. For Coates, no country or region is off limits, and she’s spent time everywhere from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Alaska and Australia. Her travel is impressive, without a doubt, though we’re more taken with the perspective that her gallivanting has given her.

“People always assume that the world is full of dangerous places, and they think, and they say as well, that I’m mad to go travelling where I do. I always replay, ‘but, 99.9 percent of people in the world are really nice, decent people like you and I.'”

We can think of a few politicians that could use some time in the saddle of an R80GS. Hit the jump to have a look at a slice of Coates’ life on the road, and remember not to let your fear rule you, people. There’s a whole world out there just waiting to meet you.

[Source: Asphalt and Rubber]

Continue reading Video: BMW Unscripted follows Tiffany Coates around the globe

Video: BMW Unscripted follows Tiffany Coates around the globe originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW Vision EfficientDynamics spotted in Abu Dhabi – is it closer to production? [w/video]

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, BMW, Middle East, Diesel

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept spotted in Abu Dhabi

BMW EfficientDynamics supercar in Abu Dhabi – click above to watch video after the jump

During a recent trip to Abu Dhabi, Teamspeed forum member Captain Stradale caught a glimpse of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics strutting its stuff for an on-track photo shoot. What makes us most curious, though, is the fact that this gray version of the VED is marginally different-looking than the white concept BMW has paraded around the auto show circuit over the past year (along with the white with blue swirly camo prototype they’ve shown).

The Vision EfficientDynamics, which is rumored to come into production under the name ‘i8’, is expected to be powered by a 328-horsepower three-cylinder diesel-hybrid powertrain. The ultra-lightweight production car is tipped to run from 0-100 in just 4.8 seconds, and during normal driving, the new efficient supercar is estimated to achieve 62.5 miles per gallon.

When we’ll see the production version of the VED is still unclear, though sources have reported that it will show up in 2013, priced from around $200,000. We can’t verify if the gray car in these Teamspeed shots is anything closer to production, but seeing this thing out on the track makes us all the more eager to experience BMW’s efficient hotness for ourselves. In the meantime, check out the spy video after the jump and click on the link below to see more photos at Teamspeed. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: Teamspeed]

Continue reading BMW Vision EfficientDynamics spotted in Abu Dhabi – is it closer to production? [w/video]

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics spotted in Abu Dhabi – is it closer to production? [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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