It seems like in the process of gearing up for the Tokyo Motor Show, the Bavarians aren’t going to stop at bringing a hybrid 5 Series and they will be teaming it up with the BMW i Range.

We knew the Japanese were fans of fuel efficiency but last I heard, they still make the Nissan GT-R there so BMW wouldn’t be threading on a thin wire to bring in some really grunt like perhaps the BMW M5.

Getting back to the future of motoring in BMW’s view, the small and city like i3 will be seen in Tokyo unlike the relatively small and definitely not that city like i8.

As much as I’d love to see people crowding around the i Range’s supercar there’ll probably be quite the enthusiast group surrounding the i3.

I may be quite the distance away from my thirties and still I feel like a dinosaur to live in a world where up to 95 miles on battery power matter more than 0 to 62 in under 5 seconds.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles nowadays and it is obvious that BMW is only giving the market what it pleads for. In fact, warming up the part of my heart that’s focused on burning petrol, the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show is probably a good place to find out about the range extender feature on the BMW i3.

We’ve heard about it for a while now but we haven’t seen any proper confirmation on what sort of internal combustion engine will be assisting stricken down electric motors.

A range extender feature may not be the “cleanest” of options for making the BMW i3 a more viable option but it does seem like the only way to go as battery limitations are still not very giving.

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Marcus M.

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The post BMW i range to be seen in Tokyo appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

It seems like the initial concerns over the finances of our favorite Bavarian company have been greatly exaggerated when rumors and reports came in about R&D costs of the F30 BMW 3 Series.

On the other hand, the news about the BMW X3 chipping into some great sales figures over the third quarter only paved the way for the financial results BMW achieved last month.

The tenth month of 2011 actually turned out as the best ever October in not only the company’s history in terms of sales, but of the entire BMW Group.

The BMW Group managed to sell a total of 139.276 vehicles worldwide last month, which signifies an increase of 8.3 percent over what they’ve managed last year.

Naturally, most of the weight comes from the BMW brand itself as its sales volumes went up by a tasty 12.4% with 107.789.

Some of the success also comes from the British subsidiary at Mini, they’ve managed to shift 23.839 units, a bump of 16.2 percent over last year.

This was mostly achieved thanks to the increased success of the Mini Countryman crossover. And then there’s the incredibly low figures of Rolls Royce.

The legendary luxury manufacturer managed to make 279 deliveries, which sounds almost pitiful but it makes up for an incredible 298.6% increase over 2010. In this case, it’s obviously that the increase fell on the shoulders of the Ghost.

Finally, a less than important percentage increase (1.7%) but a decent chunk of units sold for the BMW Group saw them deliver 6.845 motorcycles in October.

With the new posted figures for October, the remaining two months of the year seem to be going according to plan for BMW and the BMW Group, which means that it seems like there’s close to no chance that Audi or Mercedes ends up catching up in terms of sales.

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Marcus M.

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The post BMW Group gets record sales for October appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

A few days ago BMW released some teasing information according to which a special edition of Bavarian creations is headed stateside.

Though it pains me to say this I have to say i was expecting a bit more, while what this car is is far less than disappointing it sort of doesn’t live up to the hype created around it.

The special edition promised to the Americans is entitled the 2011 M3 Frozen Gray Edition and it will only be available in 30 units all of which identically-equipped examples made exclusively for the United States.

The special part of these cars is justified with an exterior look done in Frozen Gray matte finish, an interior look in Fox Red & Black bi-color Novillo leather and that’s about everything.

Actually there’s a bit more that can’t really be seen but since BMW’s M3 is about as close as you can get to the Ultimate Driving Machine you should be able to feel the effect of these additions. They are made up of a trio of standard packages including the Competition kit which reduces vehicle ride height by 10mm and includes special 19-inch wheels with wider offset for enhanced stability, standard Electronic Damping Control with enhanced programming, and higher-threshold programming for the M Dynamic Mode.

While I’m a bit disappointed, I’m also sure that there’s a lot of people out there who want an M3 that isn’t like any other one you might end up next to at the lights.

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Marcus M.

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The post The promised special edition BMW for the U.S. is here appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

According to some reports from German magazine Autobild, the BMW Megacity will see its official debut at the 2011 Franfurt Motor Show.

To be honest, I may have gotten a bit more excited than necessary as by then the Bavarians will be showing us the first prototype of the Project I Megacity Car.

Still, the Frankfurt automotive event just got a bit more interesting and is going to be eagerly awaited by BMW fans with this in mind.

The actual production version of the Megacity will be arriving at a much later date, 2013 being mentioned but quite possibly, still the same motor show will house its launch.

While that remains to be seen there are still a few bits of information we, BMW fans, can enjoy as some sources are saying that the new car will be completely new, sharing no parts with other BMW brethren and thus becoming unique in its own right.

The BMW Megacity will feature a carbon fiber structure, will be full-electric, will be available in three body styles (four-seater, two-seater and a sports car) and will be built in Leipzig.

According to BMW targets the car is expected to sell around 150.000 units every year.

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Marcus M.

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The post BMW Megacity will be seen at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

BMW have begun a trend of reducing the amount of camouflage seen on the super saloon M5 ever since the normal 5 Series F10 is already roaming the streets.

To this extent, here’s a set of shots in which the M5 is getting more and more… naked.

So far, there are a few key styling differences to be found between the M5 and any other 5 Series include the four tailpipes, front and rear bumpers designed to give the car a massive look, unique exterior mirrors and alloy wheels.

Things which are under speculation when it comes to the future BMW M5 are a carbon fiber roof and bootlid which should help reduce weight and a manual gearbox to please the purists. Neither of these has been confirmed in any way.

The 2011 F10 BMW M5 may see unveiling for the first time this fall at the Paris Motor Show but it is most likely that it will be launched next year at some different Motor show seeing how sales are expected to start towards the end of 2011.

Till then, fans will simply look at the psychedelic camouflage and the way it disappears in pretty much the same manner a teen ager will look at a stripper.

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Marcus M.

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The post More spyshots of the F10 BMW M5 appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

A new BMW M5 is always going to be a car that will create a lot of expectations, a car that will meet those expectations and surpass them every time. This must be one of the reasons why the Bavarians are testing it round the Nurburgring so thoroughly.

With that in mind, every time a major manufacturer is putting an eagerly expected new model (and seriously now, is there anything you’re looking to more than the F10 M5?) somebody manages to snap some photos of it out in the wilds. Even though there is some camouflage on it, fanatics will still be able to tell other what to expect.

In the case of the 2011 F10 BMW M5 what you will be getting is a bulky M3 inspired front fascia, something expected as Adrian Van Hooydonk stated not long ago that future BMW’s will unify design in order to synchronize with global taste of the customers.

Other interesting looks of the car come with the hood that be one of those tight t-shirts that cover up a flexing muscle such as the massive engine that will be in the new M5 and the wheels this car is running on. Not bad, not bad at all.

Leaving looks aside, i have to say i’m quite thrilled at how flat the car is throughout this bend and how well it hits the apex, BMW will keep the M5 as a leader i’d say.

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Marcus M.

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The post More spyshots of the 2011 BMW M5 appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Most of you still have a fresh memory of BMW winning at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring last weekend after a five years since the last victory of the manufacturer on this track, four of which had been taken by Porsche.

Apparently BMW are so pleased with fan support of this race and the performance in itself that they are working on a limited edition of the BMW M3 GTS to celebrate the occasion.

While this is just a rumor for now i can’t help at get a bit excited to know that BMW may be doing an ultimate version, of the ultimate version, of their ultimate sports coupe.

This ultimate version is rumored quite well (which is a delight) in terms that it will allegedly have a matte-black exterior, a front spoiler, wider rear fenders and lighter alloy wheels. BMW will also use plenty of carbon fiber in addition to the carbon fiber roof on the regular BMW M3 GTS and areas where this extra carbon fiber is expected to be seen are on the deck-lid, hood and rear spoiler.

As the title claims, the new model should be named the BMW M3 GTS-R.

Besides this extra lightening kit offered by the M3 GTS-R it may also feature something very important such as KERS (perhaps from the 2011 M5 parts bin?).

We’ll just have to wait and see if the M3 GTS-R is a gaming fantasy or a real track ripping beast.

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Marcus M.

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The post BMW M3 GTS-R may celebrate Nurburgring victory appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

We know the next generation of BMW X3 is destined to come out in 2011 and it is already out on the streets in disguise.

What we don’t know is just what kind of attraction a new BMW can generate, even for somebody who isn’t a petrolhead and has no idea how the world of camouflage and spy shots works.

The next BMW X3 was in its normal expected “suit” and parked on the Upper West Side yesterday after the suspiciously looking black and white vehicle with a tarp over it started while the driver enjoyed a picnic with his girlfriend.

In true form with the terrorist craze in America the passer by who noticed this called the Police and notified them that a BMW SUV parked in front of the Museum of Natural History on Central Park West may be containing a bomb.

It took the NYPD bomb squad several hours to examine the vehicle and eventually wound up smashing the rear and side passenger windows of the vehicle in order to inspect it. Authorities said they were surprised to see that the car’s interior was also covered with tarp.

The driver was eventually identified and he was contacted in order to clear up the case and, apparently, he was Martin Birkmann, a BMW brand manager and test driver who stated that the car must have been running as he may have mistaken the buttons he pressed on the remote start of the car.

As a result of this, BMW get some free advertising for the X3 and we get to know that beside the new engines and whatever else is traditional with a new car we will also getting a remote start option within the new toys that will be on the car.

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Marcus M.

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The post Camouflaged BMW X3 causes bomb scare appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Spotted may not be the proper term for BMW’s camouflage techniques but the 2011 F10 BMW M5 has been seen, and recorded at that, going round the Nurburgring.

As befits any sport car or sports sedan in this case, of the M5’s caliber Nurburgring testing is a must, especially when you are talking about a car that is a candidate for being a Ring Taxi.

Expectations are always high with BMW products and for BMW products that have an M badge attached to the name they are even higher. In order to meet those expectations the cars have to be properly designed, engineered, developed and tested before being unleashed on the public.

Since the new BMW 5 series has already been grabbing fans left and right more than it’s E60 predecessor the M5 will most likely get a fan club that’s never been seen before.

So far the data on it is quite scarce, the engine will no longer be a naturally aspirated 5 liter V10 engine as BMW have downsized to a 4.4 liter V8. That said though, downsizing is definitely not equivalent to downgrading as the twin turbos on this engine will give it more power than the out going model.

So here’s a short clip of a 578 horsepower attack on the 2011 BMW M5’s tires at the Nurburgring.

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Marcus M.

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The post 2011 BMW M5 spotted at the Ring appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The Nordschleife got a very interesting visit recently in the form of the 2011 BMW M3 GTS.

The limited edition of the E92 M3 will stand to replace the CSL version of the previous generation of M3 as this is still a lightweight, hardcore, track racing focused car that is still road legal.

Road legal is a relative term as all the modifications brought to the car will fail to make it past road-going legislation in many countries, the biggest of which will be the United States of America.

The GTS version of the BMW M3 is due to be on sale by next month and features a 4.4 liter V8 engine that has an output of 450 horsepower. The list of upgrades also includes a 7-speed M DKG Drivelogic gearbox, a multitude of weight saving materials used in the body and as a list of downgrades you know get no stereo, no air conditioning and no back seats. Reminds you of any recent BMW CSL’s list of equipment?

To sum up, other than a 419 pound diet you get a hardcore BMW M3 with a wing on it’s back. Well, not really. What you do get is probably one of the best driving machines made to date and one of the most amazing sounds ever to be heard round the Nurburgring.

Find that hard to believe? Listen to the following recording:

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW M3 GTS recored at the ‘Ring appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.