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BMW can't build enough M3 wagons, but the U.S. won't see any

Why, oh why, won’t the automobile companies that supposedly cater to Americans give us a viable touring wagon? Seems that BMW is one manufacturer thatÂ’s aware of the question, but skirts the answer. WhatÂ’s more frustrating is that the German company, and others, have for years been off-handedly tossing out the same refrain: “Maybe weÂ’ll bring a wagon back to the U.S.” Not. All the more irritating then is the news that the Bavarians have increased production in Munich of its M3 Touring longroof version to keep up with demand. The information comes via Bimmer Today, which spoke with BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. He said that the company was surprised by the amount of interest in the M3 Touring since its debut during last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. In fact, he said, the company had to facilitate a production ramp-up within its Munich facility. Despite that increased production, the backlog of orders means that customers are still on wait lists, he said. Last year, van Peel admitted that demand for M-wagons in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, and exporting a touring example was a concept BMW was "taking into consideration.” Crossovers certainly are this decadeÂ’s version of the wagon, which leaves American enthusiasts will few choices: only expensive versions from Audi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz and a couple of others. Details that were announced last year — a few months before the wagon went into production for sale in Europe, the U.K. and elsewhere — noted that the M3 Touring was only available in Competition spec with xDrive all-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Pricing started at GBP80,550 ($105,000 U.S.) More data on the M3Â’s intro here. Related video:

BMW Concept M4 GTS shows its face in Monterey

Late last night, we showed you the BMW Concept M4 GTS, one-off production preview fitted with innovative OLED taillights, a water-injection system, and a suite of aerodynamic upgrades. Now, we have live images. These shots come from the scene of the debut, at one of Pebble Beach's numerous palatial estates. In natural light, we can see the M4 GTS as it really is. Both the Frozen Dark Grey paint and orange accents look far better, with the chin spoiler and wheels featuring an almost anodized appearance. The semi-matte nature of the paint also shows through, giving the Concept M4 GTS a more sinister look. We also remarked last night on the clash between the yellow calipers and orange wheel accents. But as the live photos show, the calipers appear more gold than yellow. There's still a pretty harsh contrast between the two shades, but it's better than it looked last night. Check out our entire gallery of live images of the new Concept M4 GTS, available at the top of the page. BMW Concept M4 GTS to be Premiered During Monterey Car Week. The First M3/ M4 Special Production Car to be Sold in the US. Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – EMBARGO: August 13, 2015 – 9:00pm EDT/6:00pm PDT...A year on from the launch of the BMW M4 Coupe, BMW M GmbH is presenting an initial preview of a high-performance model for use on the road and on the race track: the BMW Concept M4 GTS – the first M3/M4 special production vehicle to be sold in the US. The BMW M GmbH was founded in 1972 as BMW Motorsport GmbH and caused a sensation with its iconic BMW M1 racing car. As the force behind the world's most successful racing touring car, the Group A BMW M3 and the development of the first turbocharged engine to win the Formula One World Championship, the BMW M GmbH return to its racing roots with the BMW Concept M4 GTS. The BMW Concept M4 GTS continues the tradition of BMW M3 special models already illuminated by the BMW M3 Evolution (1988), BMW M3 Sport Evolution (1990), BMW M3 GT (1995), BMW M3 CSL (2003), BMW M3 GTS (2010) and BMW M3 CRT (2011). Technology honed in race competition, a hike in power, a commitment to lightweight design and limited production numbers with unbeatable performance coupled with a powerful and exclusive driving experience.

Watch man destroy his M6 'lemon' with a sledgehammer and ax

Just to be clear, the owner of this BMW M6 isn't ready for another one. He and his friend destroyed the V10-powered coupe in anger at the entrance to the Frankfurt Motor Show in a decidedly public fashion. Bild and GT Spirit report that the owner was angry over mysterious quality and reliability issues that he claims BMW wasn't able to fix. What we have here, folks, is claimed to be a very expensive lemon.
As the story goes, owner Pourmohseni Hadi bought the 2007 M6 in 2008, and five years later, he is still complaining about mysterious vibrations, rattles and severe jolts during gear changes - the latter he says have caused passengers to become nauseous. The car was taken to several BMW repair shops in Italy and Hadi says he he has written a letter to the automaker about his issues, but the car was never fixed and the letter unanswered, he claims. What we don't know is how many miles the car has been driven and when all these problems started happening. The situation reminds us of a certain Lamborghini Gallardo from a couple years back.
While we understand Hadi's frustration, perhaps an M6 just doesn't suit his tastes. After all, we'd be lying if we said a perfectly functioning M6 of this generation wasn't bumpy over uneven surfaces and wouldn't make some passengers nauseous, with its stiffly sprung suspension and dizzying 500-horsepower V10. Anyone wanna bet his M6 was equipped with one of BMW's notoriously abrupt SMG single-clutch gearboxes?