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BMW M4 Coupe laps 'Ring in 7:52, bests outgoing M3

Comparing Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times is a bit of a black art, especially when looking at times officially set by manufacturers matched against other sources. Driver skill and weather conditions play a huge roll in determining a quality time. Still, it appears BMW fans have reason to celebrate because the new M4 Coupe beat the previous-generation M3 by 13 seconds in a recent test by Germany's Sport Auto magazine.
Sport Auto conducts what it calls the Supertest, where it runs performance cars around the 'Ring and the short course at Hockenheim to create its own database of comparable times. The M4 with a dual-clutch transmission, ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Supersport tires managed a quality 7 minutes 52 second lap around the 12.8-mile course, compared to 8:05 from the last M3, according to BimmerPost. The new coupe also beat the magazine's posted times for the Audi RS5 Coupe, which did it in 7:59, and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with an 8:01, but couldn't quite match the 7:44 set by a 911 Carrera S. Still, BMW must be somewhat pleased with these results of its new 425-horsepower coupe because it posted the magazine's cover and an image of the time on its official M Facebook page.
While the M4 apparently stands up to contemporaries and predecessors, new generations of the AMG and RS models are reportedly on the horizon. In other words, more tests will come.

BMW-Toyota sports car heading towards Tokyo debut

Earlier this year, BMW and Toyota confirmed a four-part joint venture mostly focusing on increasing improving vehicle efficiency using fuel cells, lightweight materials and better battery technology. Also tucked into the announcement was a "feasibility study" for a shared platform to underpin a future midsize "sports vehicle."
In terms of the latter, it seems that things have stepped up from the feasibility stage to the conceptual stage, as Motor Trend reports we could see a pair of new sports car concepts debut later this year in at the Tokyo Motor Show. There isn't much information about the new program, but the article suggests the sports cars could be all-wheel drive hybrids, with electric motors powering the front wheels and a gas engine powering the rear wheels. While a partnership between Toyota and BMW might not lend itself to a catchy portmanteau like "Toyobaru," here's hoping it will bear fruit that is as exciting as the ones produced by the Toyota/Subaru tie up.

BMW profit of $2.7B is down as automaker invests to keep luxury lead

Despite selling 6.6-percent more vehicles - a record by volume - and posting higher revenues in the second quarter of 2013, BMW Group's profit of 2.07 million euros ($2.75 billion) is down 8.8 percent from last year. Investments in new technology (e.g. the new i3) and personnel, in addition to a competitive market, are to blame, BMW states. But the automaker remains committed to its fiscal targets for 2013, which, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, says will be "on a similar scale to 2012."
The BMW brand's sales performance in the first half of the year, which increased by 7.7 percent to 804,258 vehicles delivered, was good enough for it to maintain its lead in the luxury market, narrowly beating Audi, which delivered 780,510 vehicles, Automotive News reports. Mercedes-Benz delivered 694,433 vehicles to cement third place.