1997 Bmw M3 E36 4-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Airbag recall widens to include BMW, Chrysler, Ford and Toyota

The recall of faulty airbag inflators supplied by Takata has exploded today to grow to seven automakers. In most cases, only models in certain high-humidity regions were affected because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found in its investigation that moisture played a roll in determining whether there would be a problem. However, some companies opted for national campaigns. The exact number of affected models for these campaigns isn't yet known at this time.
BMW is recalling an undisclosed number of 325i, 325Xi, 330i and 330Xi models from the 2001 through 2005 model years and the 2001-2006 model year versions of the 325Ci and 330Ci for the driver side and passenger side inflators. Only vehicles currently registered in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands are covered under this recall.
Neither Chrysler's filing with NHTSA nor its press release list the specific models affected, but a company spokesperson told Autoblog that at this time it only covers the driver and passenger side inflators for the 2006 Dodge Charger in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands

BMW shuffles chairs in its design department

BMW Group has made some changes to its design team since August 1, and has shuffled top personnel to different positions at BMW Design, Mini Design and Rolls-Royce.
The BMW Design team led by Karim Habib (middle, right) gains a new head of Exterior Design in Domagoj Dukec (right), who has worked for the exterior design team since 2010 and shaped the Concept Active Tourer.
Oliver Heilmer (left), who has worked for BMW's interior design unit since 2000 and designed the 5 Series interior, replaces Marc Girard as head of Interior Design BMW Automobiles. Marc Girard goes to manage BMW's subsidiary design group, BMW DesignworksUSA.

Alpina won't sell its 600-hp B6 Bi-Turbo in the US

Like the B5 Bi-Turbo revealed last month, the newest version of Alpina's B6 packs an upgraded 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 now good for 600 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The result is a 0-62 time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 205 miles per hour, giving it similar acceleration to the M6 but a much higher top speed. Other enhancements include a sport suspension with adjustable dampers, a limited-slip differential, fully retrimmed interior, and an available brake upgrade. These are essentially the same upgrades applied to the Edition 50 that helped Alpina celebrate its half-century anniversary. But with those all sold out, the enhancements will now be available to European customers on the standard B6 – in either coupe or convertible form – starting in the spring, with prices comparing roughly to those of the M6. Unfortunately, the two-door B6 isn't available Stateside, but we can get the B6 xDrive Gran Coupe with the same output. With four driven wheels and four doors, the US-market B6 will rocket to 60 in an estimated 3.6 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 200 mph – if only we had the derestricted highways to test that out. Related Video: BMW ALPINA B6 BI-TURBO WITH UPDATED 4.4 LITRE V8 BI-TURBO • V8 Bi-Turbo producing 441 kW (600 hp) and 800 Nm of torque • BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds • Significantly extended standard equipment A limited number of fifty units of the BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo EDITION 50 were produced for our customers. Created and developed to celebrate ALPINA's 50th Anniversary in 2015, these vehicles all exhibit unique features sourced from ALPINA's long and eventful heritage. Like limited edition models of the past, the popularity of the EDITION 50 means all examples have been placed with customers. The regular version of the BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe and Convertible will continue to be available in spring 2016 and featuring the updated engine and drivetrain configuration. The powerful 4.4 litre V8 Bi-Turbo has been developed further, increasing output to 441 kW (600 hp) and 800 Nm of torque. The BMW ALPINA B6 Bi-Turbo Coupe accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, onto a top speed of 330 km/h. Combined consumption according to ECE Norm remains at 9.4 l/100km and 219 g/km CO2. The ALPINA sport suspension with Adaptive Drive comprises electronically adjustable dampers and active roll stabilisation.