1989 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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BMW X3 ensnared by diesel emissions probe

Volkswagen may not be the only German automaker ensnared by this whole diesel debacle. The latest reports suggest that BMW could be guilty of the same offense. According to Bloomberg, citing a report from Germany's own Auto Bild magazine, the X3 could be over the European legal limit for emissions. The report suggests that a BMW X3 xDrive20d registered tailpipe emissions more than 11 times the limit under testing by the International Council on Clean Transportation. The council is the same that triggered the investigation into Volkswagen that led to the automaker's admission that it cheated on emissions tests for its diesel vehicles and the subsequent resignation of its chief executive. Volkswagen admitted to installing software that initiates additional emissions controlling measures when it detects that the vehicle is being tested. For its part, however, BMW denies that it has any such similar system in place, noting that many of its vehicles have passed testing by the same organization. Whatever the truth in BMW's case, it may not emerge unscathed. Bloomberg reports that the company's stock fell as much as 9.7 percent – the most it has lost in over four years – amid concerns that it could be implicated in the scandal as well. Shares in rival automaker Daimler also dropped by 5.8 percent. Volkswagen has already lost over $20 billion in market value in the midst of the scandal. The German government and European Union are considering implementing more restrictive standards and more thorough testing on diesel engines in order to prevent this sort of thing from recurring.

China's auto sales continue to drop

The days of unending growth of carmakers in China look to be over, and some analysts are even forecasting a net drop in volume this year, The Detroit News reports. After falling numbers in June and July, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers tallied total sales, including trucks and buses, in August to 1.7 million, down 3 percent from 2014. There were some tiny specs of good news in China, but there's no turnaround in sight. Total vehicle sales from January to August are actually still up but only 2.6 percent. Like the rest of the world, SUVs are booming with numbers up 45.6 percent from the previous year. Honda managed a very impressive 50.7 percent gain on the strength of the CR-V and Vezel (the HR-V here), according to The Detroit News. Also, the country's domestic automakers, which generally offer less expensive products, posted a 2.5 percent growth in sales. The news continues to look bad for Detroit's automakers, though. Volume from General Motors dropped 4.8 percent in August, and Ford fell 3 percent in August. Both of them have invested significant amounts there in the past years. The vehicle industry in China grew last year, but there was burgeoning evidence of weakness. At the end of 2014, dealers there pushed back against huge inventories pushed by automakers. Even before the big drops began in June, GM saw the writing on the wall and started cutting prices. BMW responded to the slump by cutting back production to deal with the changing demand. News Source: The Detroit NewsImage Credit: Mark Schiefelbein / AP Photo BMW Ford GM Honda Car Buying

BMW 4 Series Convertible basks in the sun

The BMW 4 Series Convertible will show its non-camouflaged face sometime later this year, but our spies recently caught this nearly naked prototype out getting some sun. As you'll recall, the droptop 4 Series replaces the 3 Series Convertible in the BMW range, and if our recent stint behind the wheel of the new 435i Coupe is anything to go on, this topless 4er should be quite a fun runabout for sun-drenched motoring.
To no one's surprise, the 4 Series Convertible shares all of its design with the 4 Series coupe, save, of course, the obvious roofectomy. Beyond that, the topless 2+2 will use the same engines and transmissions as the coupe, meaning it should arrive in the US in both 428i and 435i guises, powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four and 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, respectively. Both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions will be available.
The car spied this time around has the full M Sport visual treatment, with the revised (and better-looking) front fascia, larger 19-inch wheels, and attractive Melbourne Red paint. Interestingly, it appears this prototype has the standard xenon headlamp setup, rather than the full-LED option that's also available.