BMW M5 Concept

BMW has unveiled the concept for its latest M5 model, which is expected to hit the European market this Fall and North America by next Spring. Based off the current F10 5 Series chassis, the M5′s exterior has been modified with a revised front fascia that houses three large black mesh-covered intakes to feed the turbocharged eight cylinders and supply the front brakes with cool air. In the back, a subtle lip spoiler extends across the trunk to provide downforce at speed and M-specific quad exhausts shuttle spent hydrocarbons out the back. With a new Auto Start Stop functionality for its U.S. model, BMW also claims to have developed more power while reducing emissions by 25%. Stay tuned for more information as the BMW M5 concept is set to be shown at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month. via AutoBlog

BMW 5 Series Hybrid Concept

The dispersion of BMW's ActiveHybrid – and conjoined word – initiative continues with the 5 SeriesActiveHybrid Concept. Billed as a "future-oriented full-hybrid model in the upper midrange segment" it boils down to the turbocharged inline-six you love and along with a 53-horsepower electric motor you will learn to love working through an eight-speed auto 'box for the middle-management set. They'll get 10-percent more distance for the gallon, and a squirt of instant boost thanks to those hard working electrons. Look below for the goss on the ActiveHybrid evolution, and have a look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Avus Performance BMW M3

The BMW M3 is already one of Germany’s best Autobahn burners, but Berlin-based tuner Avus Performance has taken BMW’s pride-and-joy M car to the next level.

No tweaks have been made to the engine, meaning that the M3’s high-revving V8 mill still makes due with 414 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. (Not that we’re complaining). What Avus has done, however, is supply a modified suspension, as well as a revised exhaust system, meaning the coupe should be a bit more lively than the stock car we’re used to.

Visually, Avus has added some extra carbon exterior parts, such as the revised rear diffuser and spoiler, as well as that more aggressive front lip. The wheels are made by ADV.1 and can be built to many different size specifications, as well as being offered in either matte bronze and matte gunmetal. We’ll take those hot 14-spokes, please.

2013 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

According to an unnamed “senior BMW authority out of Munich” speaking with InsideLine, the German automaker will indeed build a production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept that debuted last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. BMW is reportedly planning for a model run of between 5,000 and 10,000 units in 2013. We’ll get to the details in a moment, but here’s the best news: “That name that the marketing people forced on us [is] going to change for sure.” Phew.

Apparently, BMW has no plans to ditch the radical plug-in hybrid powertrain, which put out 356 horsepower and a stonkin’ 590 pound-feet of torque in the concept. That means we’ll get something similar to the turbocharged three-cylinder diesel range extender and twin electric motors powered by a lithium polymer battery pack that was featured in Frankfurt. Sounds great so far, and BMW claims the performance will be even better than the 4.8-second 0 to 60 run quoted for the concept.

Naturally, some of the Vision’s more outlandish exterior bits will go the way of the Dodo, but IL reports BMW’s target of weight is still under 3,000 pounds, meaning that high-tech composites and construction techniques are a veritable lock. Price for this next-gen eco-friendly supercar? Nothing announced – but if you have to ask… well, you know the rest.

Click here for the Full Picture Gallery.

[via AutoBlog]

2011 BMW 5 Series

You can’t buy the 2011 BMW 5 Series yet, but German tuner Racing Dynamics knows what it’s going to do to the car when you can. Opt for the 535i and you’ll take delivery of a sedan turned into an R35, pulled by a turbocharged six that’s got a 104-horsepower bump to 410 along with 385 pound-feet of torque. It will get to 60 miles per hour nearly a second faster than the standard 535i.

But if you can, why not take the R50S? That’s a 550i taken from 407 ponies and boosted up to 620 horsepower. Controlling that oomph will be a Racing Dynamics sport suspension, locking rear differential, and a brake system with slotted discs that can handle 800 degrees Celsius. Making it sound good will be a new exhaust, and making it look good will be a minimal bodykit featuring a pair of dual pipes and 21-inch forged wheels.

Happy New Year! BMW rings in 2010 with price increases across the board

 

Normally we can think of some cute little anecdote to kick these here posts off with, but today… can’t do it. BMW is raising their prices by 0.4 percent across the board on vehicles sold in North America. This price increase takes effect on January 1, 2010. Why? BMW isn’t saying. And while less than a percent may not sound like much, if you’re buying a stripper 760Li ($136,600), that’s like $600!

There is a tiny sliver of good news. The three vehicles that just got introduced to this continent in December — the ActiveHybrid X6, ActiveHybrid 7 and the 550i Gran Turismo — are unaffected by this price increase. Of course as all three of those vehicles haven’t proved themselves in the marketplace yet, so that sliver is even tinier upon second glance.

But it’s not just the base prices that are going up. Destination & Handling fees are on the rise as well. Every new BMW is coming with an additional $50 tacked onto the 2009 $825 price, for a total of $875. And yes, this fifty dollar increase applies to the two new hybrids and the Gran Turismo as well. Happy New Year!

 

Gallery: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Concept

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G-Power takes the BMW X6 M, X5 M to 600 hp and beyond

G-Power Typhoon X6 M – click above for hi-res image gallery

We all know what the biggest problem with the BMW X6 M is, right? Not nearly enough power. Sure, 555 hp from a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 is 5 hp more potent than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, making the X6 M the most powerful production SUV on earth. Still, 600 hp is the new black, so a stock X6 M just ain’t going to cut it. Thank heavens, then, for G-Power.

Meet the G-Power Typhoon. Thanks to 15% increased airflow to the intercoolers, G-Power was able to wrangle an additional 45 hp out of the Bimmer’s motivator. Torque’s up a bit, too. From 500 lb-ft to 516. G-Power claims the 0-62 mph dash is lowered to 4.5 seconds, too. One issue with that, however: Inside Line ripped off a 4.3 second 0-60 mph blast in a stock X6 M, meaning this here Typhoon should be three flavors of bonkers.

Then there’s the matter of looks, always a sticking point when discussing modern Bimmers. Here’s what we recommend. Go down to your friendly neighborhood BMW dealer with a folding chair. Locate an X6. Sit down in front of it and start staring. Meditate, let everything else you’ve ever known or thought about cars and car design melt out of your mind. This should take between five and seven hours. The salespeople won’t mind — honest. When you snap out of your trance with your doors of perception suddenly nailed open, the X6 will appear to you as it truly is — pretty okay-looking.

That settled, we’ll admit to liking the G-Power’s mods. For instance, you can’t say the new front clip looks worse than the old one, can you? And who amongst you doesn’t love 25mm profile tires riding on 23-inch wheels? There’s all sorts of carbon fiber this and kevlar that available as well. The best part just might be that G-Power isn’t leaving the X5 M — the X6 M’s ugly duckling sibling — out in the cold, as there’s a Typhoon kit for it, too. You know what word comes to mind? Nifty, all of it. Highly entertaining press release after the jump.

Gallery: G-Power X6 M and X5 M

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