Bmw M3 Base Sedan 4-door on 2040-cars

Auto blog

China probing German automakers over spare parts

The Chinese market has proven to be a boon to German luxury automakers. However, the way that the companies have allegedly been controlling their supply of spare parts has begun to draw the ire of the nation's government. According to insiders speaking to Bloomberg, officials from the country's economic planning organization have opened a probe into Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and some Japanese carmakers over claimed price inflation and limiting supply.
Specifically, the investigation centers around two aspects of how the companies do business, according to Bloomberg. Investigators want to know whether the original equipment component makers are able to sell spare parts only to automaker-authorized dealers or if they are also available to independent shops. There is also the issue of whether the price markup on replacement pieces is too high. The tight controls could be partially explained by China's reputation for producing counterfeit parts.
Evidently, the investigators haven't checked parts prices at car dealers elsewhere in the world. At least in the US, paying more at the dealer for factory components just goes along with owning a vehicle. If evidence of price fixing is found, the companies could face fines the equivalent of millions of dollars, according to Bloomberg.

BMW is bringing 150 '30 Jahre M3' Limited Editions to the US

So we guessed wrong. When the 2017 BMW "30 Jahre M3" Limited Edition comes here it won't get English-translated badging – you're just going to have to be clever enough to know it means "30 Years of M3." Maybe that adds to the appeal. The good news is that 150 of the 500 cars to be built will come to the United States. US-spec cars will be pretty much as loaded as an M3 gets. That means everything we detailed in our initial report, including the Competition Package and all of the special touches, like that sweet Macao Blue throwback paint. BMW is also including the other three packages available on an M3: the Driver Assistance Plus Package (safety stuff like Active Blind Spot Detection, Active Driving Assistance, and side- and top-view cameras), the Executive Package (the head-up display, a heated steering wheel, a rearview camera, heated rear seats, parking sensors, and wireless device charging), and the LIghting Package (full-LED headlights, auto high-beams). The cars will run $84,245 for a manual transmission or $87,145 for one with the dual-clutch, which amounts to just a little more than a maxed-out run-of-the-mill M3 sedan. They'll be available in dealers starting this August which is, like, now. Related Video:

2014 BMW X5 configurator goes live

BMW won't begin selling the 2014 X5 for another few months, but the German manufacturer has brought the third-generation SAV's configurator online, allowing interested customers to poke around and look at the X5's optional goodies.
Like the 3 Series, the X5 is available in a number of lines that load up extras automatically. There's also a do-it-yourself truck that allows owners to pick and choose if they're not enamored with the styling or trim of one of the dedicated packages. As usual, the options list is quite vast, regardless of which line is chosen. We were able to easily take the new, rear-drive X5 sDrive35i, which started at $52,800, and bring the total price up past $80,000.
The new X5 carries over its 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 from the current model, as well as BMW's excellent 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six. The X5 xDrive35d, with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel will also be available on the third-generation SUV, but won't hit dealers until early 2014. BMW is stepping outside of the X5's usual bounds, offering a dedicated rear-drive model, available with all the same trimmings as the xDrive vehicles. Head over to BMW's US consumer page and have a go.