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BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo gets leaked well ahead of Geneva reveal

The great power of the internet has allowed us to get an early first look at the all-new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, a car that is slated to be shown in full at the Geneva Motor Show next month, albeit without many details to go on right now. With pictures leaking out this early in the game, we'd expect that you won't have to wait until March to get the full lowdown, however.
Our first look at the 3er GT reveals a car that is, to our eyes, a tidier piece of design work than its 5 Series GT brother. The long-backside proportions are still a bit ungainly, at least from these images, but they're helped tremendously with the larger wheel/tire package and more aggressive fascia of the sport package.
Expect the 3 Series GT to hit the ground running, with the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 3.0-liter inline-six found in the standard 3 Series sedan. BMW's popular xDrive all-wheel-drive system is a virtual lock for the option sheet, too.

BMW M5 spied as camouflage striptease continues

The facelifted BMW M5's striptease continues. The latest spy images of the super sedan show even more headlight and taillight details, on top of more overt signs of this car's character. Our first spy photos of the M5 showed a car with production 5 Series wheels and tiny quad exhaust pipes. The next set got sportier black wheels. But the latest shots depict a machine that gets the current M5 Competition Package's black wheels along with BMW M's trademark blue calipers, just like the current car. It also ditches the camouflage on the pillars, roof rails, and rear windows. Beyond those changes, stripping away some of the camouflage has shown modest tweaks. We're finally getting a good look at the updated, squared-off LED running lamps and the tweaked front fascia. Updates are even more minor in back. But there may be something more drastic at play with the taillights. Studying these shots, we can't really see any detailing in the rear lamps. There's a similar thing going on between the normal LEDs on the BMW M4 and the OLED units in the new M4 GTS. Backing up this speculation is a single shot of one of the rear turn signals illuminated. It doesn't look quite like the current car's signal, but we can't be certain. It's possible that the shots and the camouflage might be playing tricks on our eyes. And since this is the first time we've seen the updated M5 with production taillights, there's no real basis for comparison. Still, BMW's tantalizing new OLED tech is sure to proliferate beyond the M4 GTS. We just can't yet be certain if it's coming to the next M5. Related Video:

Automakers agree to clean up diesels to avoid ban in German cities

BERLIN -- Auto industry officials and politicians in Germany have agreed to clean up diesel vehicles through software updates as part of a rescue plan for avoiding diesel bans in cities, industry and government sources said on Friday. The costs of the rescue plan amount to under 2 billion ($2.33 billion) euros for cars in Germany, with the auto industry agreeing to shoulder the expense of about 100 euros per car, the sources said. After Volkswagen Group confessed to emissions-test cheating in 2015, the entire auto industry has come under scrutiny for producing nitrogen oxide emissions in diesel cars, which are blamed for causing respiratory disease. Audi, a division of Volkswagen Group, said it would update engine software on up to 850,000 diesel cars. The refit of six and eight cylinder engines will be free of charge for all customers, Audi said. The service will also be offered to Porsche- and Volkswagen- branded cars using the same six- and eight-cylinder engines, Audi said. Earlier this week, Porsche's CEO was quoted as saying the brand may abandon diesel engines as its electric cars go to market, and Mercedes announced a plan similar to Audi's, in which it will recall 3 million diesel cars in Germany for a $255 million engine software fix. Diesel cars from all domestic and foreign car brands that conform to the latest emissions standards, Euro-6 and Euro-5, will be updated, the sources said. The plan is set to be presented at the beginning of August. With the software updates, the auto industry is able to cut nitrogen oxide pollution by about 20 percent, the sources said. A committee will be set up to measure the impact of updating diesel cars on individual communities and cities, with a view to averting bans of diesel cars, the sources said. Auto industry executives and German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt are due to discuss diesel pollution at a summit on Aug. 2. Reporting by Arno SchuetzeRelated Video: Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Porsche Volkswagen Diesel Vehicles dieselgate diesel emissions