2010(10)535xi Awd Turbo Fact W-ty Only 29k Heat Moon Xen Save Huge!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW adds new entry-level 320i model, priced from $33,445*

Fans of the new BMW 3 Series here in the US have likely been waiting for one of two models to arrive: the new M3 or the diesel-powered 335d. Well... keep waiting just a little bit longer. Here at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW is showing off the new entry-level 320i that will join the 3 Series lineup this spring, and rather than bringing added performance or efficiency, this car is boasting affordability above all. The 320i has been on sale in other markets since the current-generation 3 Series was introduced, but it goes on sale in the US with a starting price of $33,445 (*)including $895 for destination, which is $3,405 less than the current starting price of BMW's well-liked sedan.
In other countries, the 320i uses either a 1.5- or a 2.0-liter inline-four (both turbocharged), and the US version of the car will be getting the latter engine producing 180 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. For comparison, the current 328i, which uses this same engine, produces 240 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque. As expected, performance of the 320i will suffer with BMW estimating a 0-60 mile-per-hour time of 7.1 seconds, but it still has the same 130 mph top speed as the 328i. Oddly enough, despite the lower output, BMW's expected fuel economy for the 320i equipped with rear-wheel-drive and the eight-speed automatic transmission actually matches that of the current 328i with 23 miles per gallon city and 33 mpg highway, and those numbers are actually lower than the 328i with the manual gearbox.
It sounds like most of the usual 3 Series options will be available on the budget-minded 320i, including the choice of xDrive all-wheel drive, BMW Assist and numerous packages including a Sport pack and Premium pack. For a lot more information on the 320i, most of it general information on the F30 3 Series, scroll down for BMW's press release.

2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo [w/video]

BMW Gets Much Closer To The GT Look And Feel It Seeks
The 2014 BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo is being launched to a pretty cynical automotive press brigade. You know it. We know it. Heck, even BMW knows it. We've just returned from driving it on the rather unforgiving and sometimes nasty roads of Sicily, and even before we got behind the wheel, many of our media colleagues were busying themselves doubting the 3 GT's very raison d'être. So, despite the always excellent Sicilian hospitality, the day's atmosphere was kind of fragile.
While the press in attendance seemed determined to nail every product expert to the wall for having been even tangentially associated with the larger 5 Series Gran Turismo, it seemed that BMW decided ahead of time to not introduce such a sensitive discussion topic. That strategy would do little to smooth things over as everyone started digging for dirt on BMW's so far clumsy Gran Turismo franchise.

Mercedes fights off late BMW surge to claim 2013 luxury sales crown

The king is dead - long live the king. Mercedes-Benz is now your new US sales champion in the fiercely competitive luxury market, deposing the champ BMW, which has enjoyed annual supremacy for the past two years.
Thanks in no small part to the dynamite launch of the new, affordable CLA-Class, not to mention a redesigned E-Class and hot-selling S-Class, Mercedes moved 33,007 units in December alone, while sales in 2013 were up 14 percent, to 312,534. BMW, meanwhile, managed to sell 309,280 units in 2013. It was far from a sure thing for the Stuttgart-based brand, though, as BMW managed to nearly halve its rival's sales lead heading into the last month of 2013.
"We saw record sales, flexed our muscles across the entire product line from top to bottom and brought the customer experience to an all-time high," said Steve Cannon, Mercedes USA's CEO. While we don't have individual figures, it seems at first blush that the CLA was really the car that pushed Mercedes over the top.