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GRAND-AM, IMSA announce deal to bring DTM racing to US

It won't be until 2015 at the earliest, but the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Grand-Am and the Internationale Tourenwagen-Rennen have agreed to a licensing and cooperation deal that could bring a version of Germany's DTM series to the US.
When the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am are officially combined next year, the resulting body will be called United SportsCar Racing (USCR). IMSA will be the sanctioning body for that series, and DTM races could be run as support events. It was also suggested by an ALMS chief that DTM races could be standalone or join NASCAR and IndyCar weekends.
With the so-called DTM America finally agreed to, there is now a way for manufacturers to run the same DTM-type cars in Europe, the US and Japan - last year Japan's Super GT series agreed to adopt "the basic technical regulations" of DTM for the GT500 class, the top class in the series. That already puts six manufacturers in play: Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW that run in Germany's DTM and Honda, Nissan and Lexus that run in Super GT. The DTM oversight body has invited American brands to Germany for the opening round of the 2013 season, and will begin actively courting their participation in the US series. Check out the press release from Audi with comments on the deal below.

BMW M3 and M4 leak ahead of Detroit debut

Images of the overhauled BMW M3 sedan and M4 coupe have leaked ahead of a debut at next month's Detroit Auto Show, along with option sheets and some specs.
Both wear the standard hallmarks of BMW's M division. There's a subtle power dome in the hood, along with the requisite M3/4-branded strakes on the front fenders. The front and rear fascia are more aggressive than what we've seen in the 3/4 Series M Sport package, as well. Split-five-spoke wheels mean the neither car will stand out in the family portrait and those gold calipers, meanwhile, signify what has been rumored for some time - the M3 and M4 will be getting carbon-ceramic brakes.
The cabin is home to the standard suite of M accoutrements, including a new steering wheel and more heavily bolstered seats. Special trim, including carbon fiber, will be available to further set these cars apart from the standard models.

BMW i8 to go full-electric after facelift

According to Autocar, BMW has plans to turn the i8 sports car from a hybrid to a fully electric vehicle. The carbon fiber structure would be modified with a wider center tunnel to house a sizable battery. Despite this, there would be no weight gain to the i8; the current version weighs in at 3,274 lbs. The electric prototype would have three BMW-developed brushless electric motors, two of them powering the rear wheels and one of them taking care of the front wheels. As the 1.5-liter gasoline engine would be shelved, there would be ample space for the two rear-mounted motors. Currently, the i8 produces 357 horsepower all told, but the electric motors in the prototype are said to produce up to 268 horsepower – each. The electric prototype is to be based on the architecture of a hydrogen prototype, which manages 242 horsepower in total. The information relayed on to Autocar comes from a source close to BMW's development boss, Klaus Frohlich. The facelifted version of the i8 should arrive next year, with awaited improvements like a new 26Ah lithium ion battery – 6Ah up from the current version. There is also talk of a Qualcomm inductive charging system, and its 7.2kWh operating power is doubled from the current 3.6kWh plug-in setup. If the rumormill is to be believed, engine output in the facelifted version would be up ten percent, resulting in 390 horsepower. Related Video: News Source: Autocar Green Rumormill BMW Electric Hybrid Hydrogen Cars