2012 BMW Z4 sDrive28i

For over a decade, only one premium automaker has offered a four-cylinder in the U.S. And while the recent rise of Audi in the States isn't solely because of its 2.0T engine, it's obvious that luxury buyers are finally coming around to the idea of a fuel-sipping four-pot. As a matter of fact, they're starting to demand it. And BMW is heeding the call.Next year, BMW will begin offering its turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder...

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2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe

If you have read the breathless reviews and overwritten comparos, you would assume that the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is infused with the second coming of Senna. And for BMW to unabashedly draw a line between the M Coupe and the most holy of holies, the 1986-92 E30 M3, smacks of PRified nostalgia stoking. Call me a contrarian, but I refuse to believe the hype.So as soon as the orange Bimmer landed on my fleet schedule, any and all reading, writing...

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BMW Z4 GT3 undergoes first round of customer tests

The 2011 BMW Z4 GT3 proved it can win races back in January when it took the overall victory at the Dubai 24 Hours. Never one to rest on its laurels, BMW took the car from the winners circle in Dubai and put it right back on a test track. After a good beating throughout March, BMW made aerodynamic and electronic tweaks to get the racer into absolute state-of-the-art shape for customer entries in 2011 GT3 competition. The BMW Z4 GT3 resembles its...

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BMW announces three two-car teams for 2012 DTM series

Touring car racing fans are eagerly anticipating the return of BMW to the DTM series. The Bavarian automaker last competed in DTM (or its progenitors, anyway) a whopping 18 years ago, but late last year announced it would return to the German touring car series in 2012. Now it has revealed the means to that end. Rather than field its own entries, BMW will be supplying the vehicles and factory support for three independent teams: BMW Team RBM, BMW...

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Detroit 2011: 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe revs its beating heart

BMW's latest introduction to the U.S. market bowed today at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and it's a machine that's meant to light the true enthusiast's heart aflutter: the 2012 1 Series M Coupe. We must say, it looks rather striking in the metallic orange hue you see in our live photo gallery below.Even more importantly, the 340 horsepower put out by its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine is said to "capture the soul of the original M3." Or...

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Detroit 2011: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible goes topless in the Motor City

In addition to the scorched orange 1 Series M Coupe at the BMW booth in Detroit was the new 2012 BMW 650i Convertible. Under the sharply creased (and rather long) hood lies a 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, direct injected V8 that manages to shove out 450 pound-feet of torque between 1,750 and 4,500 rpm. All that grunt will be sent to the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.BMW claims the new 6...

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Paris 2010: BMW Concept 6 Series Coupé looks low, flat and mean

BMW's press conference at the Paris Motor Show won't take place until later today, but the boys from Bavaria left their Concept 6 Series Coupé hanging around on the display's massive curved plinth.While we couldn't finagle our way inside to take a gander at the interior (at least not yet), the crisply styled GT clearly foreshadows the nearly-here 6 Series production model. The attractive and surprisingly large coupe borrows bits from Beijing's Grand...

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Paris 2010: BMW X3 is new yet familiar

BMW has whisked the sheets off its 2011 X3, and the second-generation crossover looks suspiciously like its predecessor. Beyond a seemingly endless parade of spy shots over the last couple of years, that's predictable, as the X3 has been a considerable sales success for the German automaker.While the sheetmetal stays largely the same, the lineup receives new engines and an eight-speed automatic gearbox that's set to spread like kudzu throughout the...

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BMW Lovos concept

It must be fun to be a car designer. Unless, of course, your name becomes synonymous with a specific styling trend that very few seem to appreciate... but we digress. It definitely seems that 24-year-old Pforzheim University graduate Anne Forschner had a good time coming up with her BMW Lovos concept, which can alternatively look either like a frightened porcupine or svelte salmon, depending on its needs at the time.The exterior of the Lovos – which...

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First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo

Evolution is a tough thing to watch – and not merely because it takes millions of years. While the developmental pace of the automobile has proven to be rather quicker than the natural world surrounding it, the car industry's recent house-on-fire rush into new niches and sub-genres has often been similarly challenging to make sense of. Like those primordial fish that beach themselves, drag their bellies on the sand with their fins and eventually...

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Frankfurt 2009: BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid

BMW isn't taking any chances with its reputation for dynamics with the 7 Series Active Hybrid. To its 449-hp and 479-lb-ft 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 heart it adds a 60-pound, 35-cell lithium-ion battery in the boot. The battery doesn't take too much away from the trunk since it replaces the rear-seat air-conditioning unit from the standard 7.The battery boosts maximum torque to 516 lb-ft when everything is really humming, and that gets the huge-ish...

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Frankfurt 2009: BMW ActiveHybrid X6

Your dilemma: you have a burning desire for a 5,000 pound, four-passenger truck that accelerates as fast as your Dodge Challenger, but you want to use as little gasoline as possible while doing so. BMW feels your pain, and they have a solution for you. Ladies and germs, meet the ActiveHybrid X6, BMW's first full-hybrid. Here's the great part: engine-wise you get both the 4.4-liter twin-turbo humdinger of a V8 and two electric motors for a total combined...

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Frankfurt 2009: 2010 BMW 5 Series GT

The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo took a whirl on the plinth and we have to admit it doesn't look the least bit absurd standing in person. We completely forgot to be offended at the fact we're being handed this instead of the perfectly fantastic 5 Series Sport Wagon. At least, until we played around with the dual-action lift gate -- then the word "gimmick" did flit through our cranial region for a moment.Still, it's not bad, and on the road it looks...

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