2008 Awd Leather Moon Roof M3 Wheels 6 Speed Manual Heated Seats Montego Blue on 2040-cars

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BMW M4 to debut in Detroit, lose manual transmission

BMW took the wraps off its M4 Concept at Pebble Beach last weekend, and many speculated that the highly anticipated production version of the sleek new two-door sports coupe would debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year. But a well-placed source tell Autoblog that the E92 M3's successor won't arrive in Southern California this November. Instead, the German automaker will wait until the Detroit Auto Show in January for its first official reveal.
An all-new 3.0-liter inline-six with twin turbochargers is expected under the hood, and it should provide about the same horsepower as the current 4.0-liter V8 (rated at 414 horsepower), but with much more torque that arrives lower on the tachometer. The lightweight engine is said to have an impressively high redline, which is unusual for a turbocharged engine.
Unfortunately, Save the Manuals members aren't going to like this next bit of news. After four generations of three-pedal M3 models, our source says the upcoming F82 M4 will arrive with a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as standard equipment - with no manual option - just like the latest iteration of the track-ready Porsche GT3 (few have complained about the automaker's PDK after driving the latest sports car from Stuttgart). In exchange for some moans, groans and gripes from enthusiasts, BMW's DCT mounted aft of the M4's inline-six will provide quicker acceleration and improved fuel economy.

KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."
The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.
On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

BMW i8 will be first production car to use Gorilla Glass

What do smartphones and the BMW i8 have in common? Glass. Scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, that is. The i8 will be the first production car to use the chemically hardened material, which is more durable, lighter and provides more sound deadening than conventional laminated automotive glass. We thought it would be a natural replacement for windshields, but, according to Autoweek, BMW said it will be used for the rear window for sound deadening purposes. The Gorilla Glass will still be laminated, with two 0.7mm thick layers of it sandwiching an acoustic sheet, reports Autoevolution.
BMW reportedly claims the i8 will weigh less than 3,285 pounds, and to offset the heavy hybrid powertrain to reach that goal the automaker has implemented lightweight materials normally not found in mass-production automobiles. With a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) monocoque used for both the (relatively) pedestrian i3 and the upscale i8, it's not surprising BMW was also the first to jump onto Gorilla Glass, especially given the timing of a report that a high-end automaker would introduce it within the year.
Be sure to check out our First Drive review of the i8 to see if BMW's newest sports car is living up to the hype.