2001 Bmw M3 Convertible on 2040-cars

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Six luxury-car features I'm ashamed to admit I love

A hot compress felt wonderful on my sore back. The methodical kneading of my shoulder blades loosened the knots that formed over several hours of driving. The Swedish-style pulses firing into my lumbar region released more tension.
I wasn't getting a much-needed massage following a recent road trip. I was getting it during the road trip.
I grew up riding in the back seat of a 1976 Chevy Nova. But once you use these lux features, it's easy to go soft.

AC Schnitzer ACS4 Sport packs 510 hp under a subdued carbon fiber bodykit

One of the interesting things about the Geneva Motor Show is the breadth of the European auto industry that it covers. Beyond just the stands from major manufacturers and boutique marques, the event also hosts the regions top tuners. Among them this year are the BMW specialists AC Schnitzer, with myriad upgrades for the M4. By the time the company is done, the coupe gets renamed the ACS4 Sport. The M4 is already a potent machine with its 431-horsepower, turbocharged inline-six, but for customers willing to spend the money, more performance is always possible. AC Schnitzer's engine upgrade takes power up to 510 hp and 476 pound-feet of torque, and buyers can also add a new exhaust with carbon-fiber-surrounded tail pipes barely protruding from the rear. The company offers two suspension kits, as well. The first lowers the BMW by 1.0-1.2 inches in front and 0.4-0.6 inches in the rear. However, for drivers who really want to scrape the ground, an adjustable racing option drops the front by 1.2-1.6 inches and the back by 1.2 inches. Of course, AC Schnitzer's buyers also want to show off their cars' added performance, and the company is ready with a host of carbon fiber pieces. Up front, there's a new front spoiler, splitter and side flicks, and the rear is available with a diffuser, roof spoiler and fixed rear wing. A wide variety of wheels finish off the sporty look, including the brand's AC1 BiColor twin-spoke design offered in forged or standard versions. Get a full look at the German tuners fairly tasteful upgrades in our gallery from the show floor, above. ?"Man, Machine & More" – The M4 by AC Schnitzer Aachen-based tuning experts open new dimensions in the field of Motorsport power Man, machine & more - The tuning experts at AC Schnitzer have given the BMW M4 with Motorsport power a further kick of energy. Once again, the Aachen-based tuning specialists have shown that there's no upper limit to power and sporting performance. To build up the muscle power of the BMW M4, AC Schnitzer has provided a performance upgrade containing of an additional control unit which increases the performance from 431 to 510 hp, and from 550 to 645 Nm. Scope of delivery of every AC Schnitzer performance upgrade includes always a two years guarantee which can be upgraded up to three years. After a visit to the Aachen workshops, the powerful energy combustion developed with the AC Schnitzer "Efficient Performance" know-how is also revealed in the exhaust of the M4.

BMW ups i3 production to 100 units a day to meet demand

To reverse the old Field of Dreams quote, they are coming, so BMW is building them. All indications are that US demand for the BMW i3 plug-in will be larger than initially expected. As a result, the automaker is upping production at its German factor by more than 50 percent in advance of stateside sales, Automotive News says, citing BMW boardmember Harald Krueger. BMW has started making about 100 i3s a day, up from its previous daily rate of about 70 units. So far, BMW, which is expected to begin sales of the i3 in the US later this month, has made about 5,000 i3s. BMW spokesman Dave Buchko confirmed in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen that the company was boosting production of the i3 based not only on US demand but on worldwide demand, but he declined to be specific about BMW's new production rate. BMW started selling the i3 in Europe in November and had racked up a six-month waiting list by early February. Last month, Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management for BMW, estimated that the company would be making a cool 100,000 i3s a year by the end of the decade, and that the global automotive market would support that production level. Check out our First Drive of the i3 here.