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BMW to unveil X4 in March

It's been about half a year since BMW unveiled the X4 concept in Shanghai. But if you've been waiting for news on when it will reach production, the latest intel indicates it'll be announced next March.
Just when in March? That's the strange part. Inautonews reports having been told by BMW that the new X4 will be announced on March 14. So, the Geneva Motor Show, then? Not quite: although that show will still be going on then, the doors open to journalists like us on March 4, not 14. So either someone has got some details mixed up, or BMW - for some reason - is planning on waiting until after Geneva to reveal the production X4.
Whenever it does, we'll be looking at a slantback version of the X3, much like BMW did with the X5 and X6, giving Bavaria a rival to the Range Rover Evoque and Porsche Macan.

BMW to pay $1.6M, rehire workers in discrimination settlement

A BMW subsidiary is on the hook for $1.6 million and must rehire workers as part of a settlement for a race discrimination lawsuit with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A change in BMW Manufacturing's criminal background check policy at the Spartanburg, SC, factory disproportionately affected African American workers, according to the EEOC, and it cost many people their jobs. The automaker has since changed the policy. According to Automotive News, the suit stemmed from BMW switching logistics contractors at the plant in 2008. As a result, 645 existing workers had to submit revised criminal background checks to keep their jobs. About 100 people didn't meet the new guidelines, according to the EEOC, and they lost their jobs. Around 80 percent of those affected were African American. According to the government agency's complaint, the altered procedures only took into account the category of a crime, not factors like when it occurred or whether the infraction was a misdemeanor or felony. With the settlement accepted by US District Court, BMW must offer work to the affected employees in this case and as many as 90 African American applicants that the contractor didn't hire because of the rules. The automaker also must offer training in the proper manner for criminal background checks. While there's nothing inherently wrong with investigating workers, "when a criminal background screen results in the disproportionate exclusion of African-Americans from job opportunities, the employer must evaluate whether the policy is job related and consistent with a business necessity," P. David Lopez, the EEOC's General Counsel, said in the agency's release, which you can read below. BMW to Pay $1.6 Million and Offer Jobs to Settle Federal Race Discrimination Lawsuit Company's Criminal Background Policy Disproportionately Affected African-American Logistics Workers, EEOC Charged GREENVILLE, S.C. - The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina today entered a consent decree ordering BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC (BMW) to pay $1.6 million and provide job opportunities to alleged victims of race discrimination as part of the resolution of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

2015 BMW X3 gets a new nose, diesel power

The second-generation BMW X3 launched in late 2010, and while it's never really wowed us, it's still a solid offering in a highly competitive class. In an effort to keep things fresh, BMW has given its X3 a nip/tuck for the 2015 model year, but perhaps the biggest news (for the US market, anyway) involves what's found underhood.
In addition to the 2.0-liter turbo-four and 3.0-liter turbo-six, BMW will now offer an X3 xDrive28d, fitted with - you guessed it - the 2.0-liter turbodiesel inline four-cylinder engine found in the 328d sedan. Output for this engine is rated at 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, and BMW says this oil-burning mill will help the X3 reach 60 miles per hour in just under eight seconds. The automaker hasn't released any information about real or predicted fuel economy figures for the diesel X3, as yet.
What's more, BMW will once again offer a two-wheel-drive X3 in the States - the sDrive28i. Pricing for the refreshed 2013 X3 starts at $39,325, not including $925 for destination. Opting for that diesel will set you back $42,825. Scroll down for the official press release, and check out a new brace of shots live from the soft-roader's Geneva Motor Show debut.