Evo Magazine brings a new video review of the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe . The respectable and popular UK magazine took the 1M for a spin during the press drives that took place last week. For the UK market, BMW will offer 450 units of the 1M, each one of them carrying a plate to emphasize the “limited edition” of the baby-M. The US customers will receive anywhere from 600 to 1,000 units by the end of this year, and recent reports confirm that the production will end in 2011. As we have seen with all the reviews so far, the new 1M is being highly praised once again. The “baby-M” speaks to the true enthusiasts and its comparison to the E30 M3 becomes even more relevant. Recent speculation say that BMW might extend the 1M beyond the standard version and a new 1M CSL might be in works. 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe powered by the N4 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter I-6 engine. For the 1M, the turbocharger, exhaust system, and ECU have been revised to produce 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, though up to 369 pound-feet are available temporarily in overboost mode. Many journalists believe the 1M can hold its own against the almighty M3. Let’s have a look. Read the rest here:  Video: BMW 1M Review by Evo

One of the two BMW diesels in the U.S., the 335d Sedan, gets promoted once again. With a production date ending in August of 2011, the BMW 335d will most likely be replaced when the new generation F30 3 Series comes to the U.S. in 2012. Back in September 2010, in an interview with Automotive News, Jim O’Donnell, CEO of BMW North America, has reiterated that BMW remains committed to its diesel strategy in the U.S. even if more hybrid vehicles will emerge in the near future. As far as future plans, BMW is hoping for 10 diesel penetration in U.S and also the introduction of new diesel vehicles on the market. The one mentioned by Mr. O’Donnell was a diesel variant of the next generation 5 Series, but unfortunately, no other news along that line have been released since. The 2011 Super Bowl featured two BMW ads, including a 335d telling the story of clean diesel technology. Also, last year BMW 335d Sedan has been named to the Top 10 Green Cars list, affirming BMW’s commitment to sustainability. BMW has been out of the American diesel market for around 20 years now and they marked their return in 2008  with the twin-sequential-turbocharged 3.0 liter diesel engine for the newly refreshed 335. BMW’s first 50-state-legal diesel delivers 265 hp at 4220 rpm, and an all too fun 425 lb-ft of torque between 1750 and 2250 rpm. Driving through a six-speed automatic transmission, this engine will propel the 335d from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 sec while delivering 23 mpg city and 36 mpg on the highway. During the tough recession last year, the $4,500 Eco-Credit has also helped boost the sales for the two diesel offerings with most of the dealers running out of 3 Series diesel sedans. Read the original post:  New Video Ad: BMW 335d

It’s a question that many Americans are asking themselves. Buy now, or wait for better deals on both new and pre-owned vehicles. Complicating the question are the after-effects of the last few tumultuous years: an economic downturn, gyrating gas prices, and a car industry that is constantly fighting for survival in an eternal battle that now… View original here:  Should You Buy Your Next Car Now – Or Wait For Better Days?

The Accent has long been at the bottom of the automotive food chain, the absolute cheapest car at the rental car counter. It had a decent ride but was slow and basic safety equipment, such as antilock brakes, was hard to find. Stability control wasn’t even offered and crash tests weren’t good. Now manufacturers are paying a lot more attention to their small cars, making them feel more substantial and adding more equipment. The redesigned Accent follows this trend. Its styling resembles the larger Sonata and Elantra , carrying on current Hyundai themes. There’s also more equipment now including the mandatory-for-2012 stability control. We got a chance to take an early look at an Accent hatchback. Our video includes our first insights. We’ll be buying an Accent soon to thoroughly test here at our track. More here:  First Look: 2012 Hyundai Accent

By June 6, Fiat will own a controlling stake in American automaker Chrysler. The Wall Street Journal reports that Fiat will exercise an option in its contract to invest in Chrysler, to buy a 6-percent stake held by the U.S. Treasury. The purchase, to be executed within 10 days, eventually will raise Fiat’s total stake in the Auburn Hills… Excerpt from: Fiat Ten Days Away From Majority Stake In Chrysler

Receding flood waters along the Mississippi River, deadly tornadoes leaving havoc in their wake in the Midwest, and above-average rain creating flood conditions throughout many parts of the country are prompting experts to warn consumers of a new danger that’s likely to spread well beyond the areas physically affected by these natural… Here is the original:  Beware Flood-Damaged Vehicles Entering Your Local Used Car Market

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. At the Lancia Ypsilon international launch in Torino this week, I sat down with Chrysler and Lancia CEO Olivier Francois to discuss the merging brands’ strategy. The product portfolios of Lancia and Chrysler will be virtually identical, and there will be a clear market separation, he says. No market will offer both brands. The U.K. and Ireland, e.g., are going to be Chrysler markets, and therefore the Ypsilon, as well as the Delta, will be sold as Chryslers there. Neither of these models will be offered in the U.S., says Francois. The styling language will merge, with the grille of the Ypsilon serving as an indicator for future products. Francois wants to take Chrysler and Lancia upmarket: “We want to compete better with the imported European brands,” he says, explaining: “There is a share of Chrysler’s market that has gone to the imports. We want to own it again.” So will the next 200 be a 3-series competitor and the 300 a 5-series fighter? Yes, he says—not exclusively, but also. In fact, Lancia will somewhat pull up Chrysler: The interior of the  300C Executive Series is molded after the 300′s Lancia counterpart, the Thema. Europe won’t get a Thema V-8 with either of the 300′s V-8 engines: “The Thema is all about silence,” says Francois. On the other hand, Chrysler won’t offer the 300 in the U.S. with the V-6 turbo-diesel. But these variations are an option at a later stage: “We could consider it, but it is not in the plan right now.” An Imperial? “Possible, but not a priority.” What’s not happening is a station wagon; the segment, Francois feels, is dead. What about downsizing engines? Not happening immediately. “The U.S. market is about V-6 and V-8 engines,” Francois is convinced. Downsized, turbocharged fours will come with the next generation of compact and mid-size sedans as Chrysler integrates Fiat Group platforms. Meanwhile, the 200, which was shown as the Lancia Flavia concept at the Geneva auto show, will only be...

While it comes as no surprise, Fiat has announced it is expanding its 875cc, turbocharged two-cylinder TwinAir petrol engine. The turbocharged 0.9 litre TwinAir picked up the International Engine of the Year award last week and can already be found in the Fiat 500 , Punto Evo, Alfa Romeo MiTo , and the all-new Lancia/Chrysler Ypsilon . In the pipeline is a naturally-aspirated 60bhp (59PS/45kW), a dual-fuel petrol and CNG, and a 105bhp (104PS/78kW) variant. The lower-powered variant will feature as an entry-level engine in the upcoming Panda city-car, which will allow for lower the base price, better fuel economy, and lower CO2 emissions. Fiat expects to produce around 100,000 TwinAir units this year, but its new plans mean the figure will rise to 250,000 in 2012. See the original post: Fiat expands 875cc TwinAir variant Read the original here: Fiat expands 875cc TwinAir variant

Honda’s new Civic boasts lots of refinements and good fuel economy, but the thrill is gone. It’s been a compact-car sales leader for decades, a pacesetter in technical innovation since the clever emissions-reducing Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion engine in 1975, and a car whose fun-to-drive index has almost always ranked at the top of its class. Now here we are with the latest renewal—generation nine—and we confront the inevitable questions: Does the latest Honda Civic carry on the enviable tradition of its honorable ancestors? Is it still transportation for the spirit, as well as the body? Keep Reading: 2012 Honda Civic EX Sedan – Short Take Road Test See the original post here: 2012 Honda Civic EX Tested: Comfier, but Disappoints The rest is here: 2012 Honda Civic EX Tested: Comfier, but Disappoints

Mopar Top Eliminator winner, 2007 For the fifth year, Chrysler’s Mopar division is challenging owners of Chryslers, Dodges, and Plymouths of all vintages to produce highly modified masterpieces for its Top Eliminator competition. While “Top Eliminator” sounds like it could be a new, testosterone-laden trim level for the Grand Caravan, it’s actually a serious contest for the company: The most spectacular entries will be taken to Vegas in the fall, where they will be featured on the Mopar stand at the annual SEMA show. After that, one winner will be picked at each of three events by panel of Mopar representatives. The first gathering is coming up soon—on June 4th and 5th—at the 27th-annual “Midwest Mopars in the Park,” in Farmington, Minnesota. The next winner will be chosen at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, taking place from June 8th to the 10th. And the last one will be selected among the many Mopars that will be rumbling through Royal Oak, Michigan on August 20th during the Woodward Dream Cruise. Past winners have mostly been muscle cars, including a 1970 Challenger, a 1968 Dodge Coronet, a 1970 Plymouth Super Bee, a 1971 Plymouth GTX, as well as a 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8. Sadly, no Grand Caravan has been crowned Top Eliminator, though we think a turbocharged, stick-shifted Caravan from the 80s would win over the hearts and minds of any true fans of Mopar muscle. Chrysler’s sponsorship of this program is no surprise, considering the important role that Chrysler’s storied aftermarket division now plays in the marketing of Chrysler’s new cars. Mopar has been very busy lately, making nifty add-ons for Challengers , an awesome pickup-truck conversion for the Jeep Wrangler, and a go-anywhere pack for Ram trucks. As we reported a few weeks ago, Mopar is giving customers of its 2012 Chrysler 300 a choice of no fewer than  eight grille options and six accessory wheel and tire packages . Top Eliminator is the sort of program we love, encouraging real passion for automotive ownership and personalization. Kudos to Mopar for shining the spotlight on its most creative and loyal customers. Check back this fall to see the winning vehicles. More: Chrysler Asks Fan to Show Their Most Insanely Tuned Mopars...

German tuner MEC Design recently went to work on a Mercedes-Benz SLS 63 AMG, upgrading both the interior and exterior Original post: MEC Design Tunes the SLS 63 AMG

Memorial Day weekend has officially arrived–and you’ll be elbow-to-elbow out there on the long trip to fun. [FamilyCarGuide] If you can believe a new study, one in five drivers are unfit to be on the road. Funny, we thought it’d be more. [TheCarConnection] In a jam for the long holiday weekend drive? Rent a car–but know these five things before… Read the original:  Memorial Day Driving, Indy 500 Cars For Sale: Today’s Car News

The renderings you see here may—and we can’t stress the uncertainty of that enough—depict the production version of BMW’s upcoming Gran Coupé, Bavaria’s answer to the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The Gran Coupé concept debuted at the 2010 Beijing auto show, where we learned that it is headed for production at some point. These images depict a car very similar to both the concept and the notion of a four-door 6-series , which just how BMW has pitched the vehicle. They’re also similar to the sort of renderings filed in Europe’s design patent system, a database that recently outed the next-gen Mercedes-Benz A-class ahead of schedule. Is the market hungering for more four-door coupes, now that the CLS and Audi’s A7 occupy the space, along with other racy four-doors like the Jaguar XF and the Maserati Quattroporte? Maybe not, but we see nothing wrong with having more beautiful cars on the road. Even if the Gran Coupé  only sells in small volumes, it’s a relatively inexpensive endeavor for BMW—it would use an existing platform and engines—and is yet another slinky means of attracting attention to the brand. 2010 BMW Gran Coupé concept Excerpt from: Leaked Renderings May Show Production BMW Gran Coupé View original here:  Leaked Renderings May Show Production BMW Gran Coupé

Cheap gas makes US electrification plans very expensive Are tax subsidies for plug-ins too expensive? “Electric vehicles bring many benefits to society and little to their owners. It is therefore the duty of public authorities to break this chicken-and-egg situation. Governments must provide incentives to car manufacturers and consumers until mass-production makes EVs competitive,” claims Brussels-based Going Electric in a recent report. Ironically, however, the report also argues those incentives should not be based on subsidies for the buyers of electric cars. Ultimately, Going Electric believes that offering subsides to electric car buyers will just be too expensive. Instead, Going Electric suggests that the focus be on saving time. In Europe that would mean opening up bus and HOV lanes to plug-in vehicles, offering unlimited free parking, EV-only parking spots and an exemption from toll and congestion charging. Interestingly, Germany recently suggested the same sort of car subsidy-free approach to promoting plug-ins . So, is America heading down the wrong path to electrification with its focus on car buying subsidies? Or, are the dynamics in the US simply different than in Europe? Obviously, the US doesn’t pay as much for gasoline as do most European countries. Thus, it would seem more incentives would be needed in the US compared to Europe to make EV prices more competitve. Additionally, congestion charging, for instance, doesn’t exist. Consequently, the US might have little choice but to embrace subsidies. Nevertheless, if plug-in car buying subsidies are too expensive in Europe, where high gas prices make plug-ins more cost-effective compared to the US, wouldn’t a US-based policy of subsidies be even far more expensive? Once again it seems cheap gasoline is far more costly than what is paid at the pump. Increased pollution, geopolitical costs and stymied innovation, etc. have made gasoline much more expensive than the pump price, and this lack of transparency is painting the US into a corner when it comes to energy policy. Consequently, at the end of the day, without some honesty regarding this disconnnect, isn’t US-led electrification going to be all the more difficult? Original post: Plug-in success all about saving...

A gaze into the fascinating past of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Like a lot of guys in the early years of the 20th century, Carl G. Fisher was smitten with the automobile. And like a lot of  those guys, Fisher wanted automobiles to be faster and more reliable. Keep Reading: Celebrating the Indy 500’s 100th Anniversary: 100 Most Interesting Facts, Milestones, and More – Feature Read more here: Celebrating the Indy 500’s 100th Anniversary: 100 Most Interesting Facts, Milestones, and More – Feature Read the rest here: Celebrating the Indy 500’s 100th Anniversary: 100 Most Interesting Facts, Milestones, and More – Feature