Better late than never, right?

We’re now on the second generation of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, the luxury sedan that kicked off the whole “four-door coupe” craze. Since then, Volkswagen countered with the CC, Porsche launched the Panamera, and Audi won us over with its A7. So what about BMW? Now that the big 6 Series coupe has taken hold, the German automaker has added a proper back seat and two additional doors to create this, the 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe.

The first version of the Gran Coupe to arrive Stateside will be the 640i, powered by BMW’s N55 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six, good for 315 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque in this application. Shortly thereafter, the 650i Gran Coupe will arrive, available with rear-wheel drive or xDrive all-wheel drive, boasting a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 tuned to 445 hp and 480 lb-ft. Both engines are paired with BMW’s ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.
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It’s been a spell since we caught wind of the rumored BMW X6 fighter from Audi, but Automotive News Europe reports the vehicle is still in development. The publication quotes Walter de’Silva, design chief with the Volkswagen Group, as saying Audi will definitely launch a more athletic crossover positioned between the Q5 and the Q7. Details are understandably scarce at the moment, but the vehicle will likely be designed to help Audi tap into the premium softroader segment where buyers aren’t afraid to pay top dollar for a vehicle. Unless Audi unexpectedly decides to completely scrap its alphanumeric naming scheme, odds are the newcomer will wear Q6 badges when it bows.
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The new 2012 BMW 1 Series is making friends hither and yon, but an unsourced report from the Netherlands suggests it might soon be taking no prisoners with the rumored arrival next summer of a 320-horsepower, 135i hatch. Yes, grab your salt and put on your tinfoil hat, because this appears to be the most speculative sort of speculation. Read More »

Have you been waiting for the new BMW 3 Series to come around? Well the wait is over. The sixth generation of the quintessential sport sedan is upon us, and now we’ve got the pricing to go with it.

BMW of North America has placed the base MSRP for the four-cylinder 328i at $35,795, and the six-cylinder 335i at $43,295 – inclusive of destination charges(*). While these prices represent a $320 and $370 respective increase over the models they replace, BMW is adamant that the jump is worth it.
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BMW is celebrating 40 years of M with a special edition M3 Competition Edition that is about as rare as they come. BMW is only shipping 40 of the coupes to the U.S., and each will be identical save for a few options.

The M3 Competition Edition will feature Frozen Silver exterior paint, black M3 GTS 19-inch wheels, dark chrome exterior trim and dark exhaust tips. The interior will be complemented with Black Novillo leather upholstery with Palladium Silver accents, an Alcantara M steering wheel and M logos throughout.

This limited edition car will feature the same 414-horsepower V8 engine as other M3s, but the 0-60 time drops from 4.7 seconds to 4.5 seconds. The Competition Edition M3 is 10 mm lower than the standard M3, has wider-offset wheels, and higher-threshold programming for the M mode.
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There’s something rotten in the state of Bavaria when BMW’s M division is more keen to tune out crossovers than roadsters. While the previous-generation Z4 and the Z3 that preceded it both had M versions, the current Z4 has been conspicuously absent from the hall’s of the BMW performance division. That could all change if the bean-counters see a good business case for a Z4 M, but in the meantime we’re reportedly slated to get something even crazier: the V8-powered Z4 GT3.
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Inside Line reports that BMW’s M division wants to play with the other kids and develop its own car, but it’s got to wait on parent BMW to say Alles klar. This isn’t new; they’ve been public about the desire for at least two years. The holdup, naturally, is that bean-and-spreadsheet wielding boogeyman named The Business Case: any in-house M offering has to feed the profit motive before getting the okay. Read More »