Florida Owned***premium / Sport Package***navigation*** on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW M4 Concept beckons the new golden child of M cars

Ushering in the next-generation of two-door M performance cars for BMW, the new M4 Concept was officially unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last night after an unceremonious embargo leak yesterday afternoon. The reality of the fact that we will never again have a new M3 Coupe is a little easier to deal with after browsing the M4 Concept's sleek and sporty lines.
As was the case with the Concept 4 Series Coupe, we expect the this M4 to transition from concept car to production coupe with very few changes. Among the features we's bet against making it into production include the front splitter and the exhaust tips - both made from carbon fiber. Other notable details are the aero-shaped mirrors, the subtle M stripes on the carbon fiber roof and the 20-inch wheels exposing big six-piston from brakes. If it were up to us, we'd say bring this car to production as is - except for the paint color.
There is still no word on the M4's powertrain or if it will even offer a manual geabox, but we would imagine that we'll be seeing this car in production form, complete with all of those details at the LA Auto Show.

Will global automakers drop local JV partners if China's government says they can?

Chinese economic policies could be in for a big change, as President Xi Jinping pushes the communist country to open its domestic markets even further. That could mean big things for the auto industry, especially when it comes to the country's far-reaching joint-venture system.
According to Chinese law, foreign automakers may only maintain a fifty-fifty partnership with their domestic counterparts. But with Jinping's push for openness leading to potential free-trade deals, that policy could be relaxed (or eradicated all together) in short order. What's an automaker to do?
Well, in BMW's case, stay the course. Automotive News Europe reports that, despite the grumblings about the JV policy changes, the German manufacturer has resigned its agreement with Brilliance through 2028. This is made doubly remarkable by the fact that BMW signed the extension over three years before it was set to expire.

You might be able to get a BMW i3 for just $24,944

Who wouldn't want to save 44 percent off the price of a new car, especially one as high-tech and green as the BMW i3? For some lucky buyers in Colorado, the luxury plug-in car will be purchasable for just $24,944. Compare that to the standard base MSRP of $42,400. The special deal is being organized by Drive Electric Northern Colorado (DENC), a group of EV advocates that, among other things, organizes group purchases of plug-in vehicles to get every participant a discount. This group buy lops $6,000 off the price of a 2015 i3, and when you combine that with the Federal tax savings of up to $7,500 and the Colorado state tax incentive of up to $6,000, you can end up paying around 44 percent less than the base MSRP. Of course, there are asterisks involved. The fine print says that the deal is only valid at the BMW Center in Loveland, CO, which is the dealership that DENC negotiated with. Supplies are also limited and you have to use BMW Financial Services Owner's Choice program to finance the vehicle. If you want in on the i3 deal, you'd better hurry, because the special price only lasts until January 4, 2016. Colorado seems to have a thing for group buys, with offers for $10,000 Nissan Leafs (also organized by DENC) and cheap rooftop solar available this past year. As good as this latest deal is, it's not the best price we've ever seen for an i3. That would be free, with the tiny requirement that you need to buy a half-million dollar tear-down report from Munro Associates. Featured Gallery 2014 BMW i3 View 107 Photos Green BMW Green Culture Electric colorado