X3 Xdrive28i Low Miles 4 Dr Automatic Gasoline 2.0l 4 Cyl Engine Alpine White on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW 1 Series dead for 2014

BMW is temporarily abandoning the increasingly competitive and popular compact luxury segment, as it's announced that its 1 Series Coupe and Convertible will be discontinued for the 2014 model year, marking an ignominious end to a line that spawned a pair of excellent high-performance models during its life. Production on the Coupe officially ended in August, while convertible production was taken offline in June.
And while we're mourning the loss of the 1 Series, we're left wondering about the status of its replacement, the 2 Series. That car, which we've already seen inside and out and know the specs on, is expected to make its debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, although it's unclear just how quickly BMW will get it to showrooms. Assuming BMW doesn't have a bumper crop of already-built 2013 models to hold them over, that leaves Munich-based manufacturer somewhat vulnerable, particularly as Audi and Mercedes-Benz are both launching new models in the compact-premium space vacated by the 1 Series. Any delay in the arrival of the 2 Series could be bad news for BMW, especially if the public is receptive to the new Audi A3 and CLA-Class (early signs suggest that the baby Benz has traction).
In addition, BMW has made a number of changes across the rest of its lineup which are listed below in the official press release. Some of the notable changes, though, include a revised 445-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 on the 5 Series, a limited-edition Frozen Brilliant White Edition for the 6 Series and the rollout of a new, touchpad-equipped version of iDrive on a number of BMW models. Scroll down for the full press release from BMW.

BMW prices M2 at $52,695, X4 M40i at $58,795

BMW announced pricing for both the M2 and X4 M40i during the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The M2 will be the slightly more attainable of the two, priced at $52,695 (including the $995 destination charge). That's about the price of a base Porsche Cayman, and represents a $7,550 premium over the price of the next-step-down M235i ($45,145 delivered). For that much scratch, you get a 2 Series coupe amped up with a 3.0-liter turbo six good for 365 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque. With all that muscle on tap, the M2 will rocket to 60 in 4.2 seconds (in M DCT form) and tops out at a typically German electronically-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. Deliveries start in April. If you need more than two doors (but not much more head room), BMW also rolled out the new X4 M40i at the Detroit Auto Show, and with delivery set to commence next month, it has now released pricing for that as well. The high-performance slant-back will command $58,795 (delivered) – or $8,100 more than the X4 xDrive35i. (That places it price-wise in between the base Macan S and GTS.) It packs a 355 hp turbocharged inline-six channeled to all four wheels, and is capable of reaching 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. THE 2016 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW IN DETROIT: - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW M2. - BMW to announce pricing of the all-new 2016 BMW X4 M40i. Woodcliff Lake, N.J.: January 11, 2016 10:30 am EST /7:30 am PDT ... Today, the all-new BMW M2 and all-new BMW X4 M40i made their world debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2016 BMW M2. Making its highly anticipated world debut, the first ever BMW M2 features the renowned BMW M performance complimented by a sleek interior and exterior design. The new entry model of the BMW M GmbH is perfectly aligned with M tradition ensuring unbeatable driving dynamics on the roads and the track, embodying the true DNA of BMW M vehicles. A newly developed M TwinPower Turbo technology 3-liter, 6-cylinder engine produces 365 bHP and 343 lb-ft of torque between 1,400 and 5,560 with an overboost function raising this figure to 369 lb-ft between 1,450 and 4,750 catapulting the high performance vehicle from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds ( M DCT) with a top speed of 155 mph. Inspired by its motorsport roots, the BMW M2 sets the pace in its segment when it comes to agility, driving feeling, directional stability, steering precision and controllability at the limit, without any compromise in everyday use.

Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of