BMW have been gaining a reputation for fierce two-wheeled speed around the racetrack. While BMW have long built sport bikes, namely in their inline 4-cylinder “K” bike class, the S1000RR superbike is truly the first effort the brand has mounted to take the fight directly to the Japanese and Italians. After joining World Superbike (WSBK) competition in 2009, BMW have seen limited podium success – their first trip to the podium came with Troy Corser at the helm at Monza in 2010. Leon Haslam again graced the third step at Monza this year, Monza being an Italian track that favors engine power over mechanical grip and handling thanks to its long straights. While BMW have done a great job in WSBK, they are yet to win a race. I fully expect that before any decision about competing in MotoGP is made, BMW would like to see several race wins in WSBK. Rumors are nonetheless circulating, however, stating that BMW may aim to switch to MotoGP for different reasons that initially thought. Apparently, after several marketing studies were conducted the results showed that the marketing potential from WSBK and MotoGP was approximately equal. So clearly BMW would not eye the switch for marketing reasons. A reason to stay in WSBK would be the close correlation between the race bike and it’s civilian brother, the S1000RR. When buyers can see similarity between their own bike and the racing version, brand loyalty grows (given that the bike is successful, mind you). The same principle applies to automotive racing, hence BMW’s involvement in ALMS with the production car based M3 racer. BMW has won two ALMS championships back to back, and it has contributed to M3 sales at the dealerships. So why, then, would BMW eye a switch to MotoGP? Rumor has it that the Motorrad department is not so keen on updating the S1000RR every year, or every 2 years as is necessary to stay competitive with the rest of the field in WSBK, since the race bike must be based on the serial production version. Moving on to MotoGP would allow BMW to race and continually develop a prototype, thus eliminating the need for frequent and expensive re-tooling of the S1000RR production line. Since the S1000RR is a brilliant bike which has dominated bike reviews and comparisons since...

As another year draws to a close, we want to know what happened in your part of the automotive world over the past 365 days. Whether you bought or sold a car, finally hit the track, made big progress on your project cars or just did what you could to keep your daily driver running— we want to know about it. What were your personal automotive accomplishments in 2011? More » More: What were your personal automotive accomplishments in 2011? [Question Of The Weekend] Read the original here:  What were your personal automotive accomplishments in 2011? [Question Of The Weekend]

Fiat has begun testing the third-generation Panda 4×4 in Italy, ahead of its launch in Summer 2012. Although this early prototype features an increased ride-height over the regular Panda , the finished article will boast chunkier bumpers, side mouldings, tyres, and skid plates. Power will come from a series of engines, including an 85bhp (86PS/63kW) TwinAir petrol and a 75bhp (76PS/56kW) 1.3 litre Multijet diesel. Two dual-fuel engines will be offered; an 80bhp (81PS/60kW) TwinAir natural gas and an LPG variant with a 69bhp (70PS/66kW) EasyPower 1.2 litre petrol. These will be mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, with a short 1st gear to aid off-roading, although an optional 6-speed Dualogic robotised transmission is a distinct possibility. With sales starting in Summer 2012, ready for the 2013MY, prices will start from around £11,500. Via Alvolante.it Continued here: Spied: 2013 Fiat Panda 4×4 Go here to see the original:  Spied: 2013 Fiat Panda 4×4

Seeing any full size Ford Bronco from the 80s in decent shape is an increasingly rare occurrence. Seeing a full size Ford Bronco from the 80s in decent shape that can run a 10 second 1/4 mile is beyond rare—it’s downright unbelievable. More » View original here: Watch a full size Bronco from down under run a 10 second 1/4 mile [Video] Read more from the original source:  Watch a full size Bronco from down under run a 10 second 1/4 mile [Video]

Fiat is working on two new MPVs to indirectly replace the unloved Idea sub-compact MPV and directly replace the Multipla compact MPV. These pre-production prototypes, spied undergoing cold-weather testing in Serbia, appear to be longer than the Idea but still remain very compact. The newcomer, codenamed ‘ L0 ‘, will underpin the new Panda III but will be sold as a derivative of the 500 . Judging by the leaked photos, the car gets a 500 -inspired nose, large headlights flanked by lower daytime running lights, and a simple, single-bar chrome upper grille. Chunky wheelarches, small overhangs, and a curvy rear adds style and substance that the Idea never quite had. The interior will also be inspired by the new Panda and the 500 , with square-shaped interior switches, retro instrument binnacle, and a chic dashboard with an integrated TomTom satellite navigation system. Customisation options will be truly extensive, from stickers to alloy wheels and everything in between. Power will come from a variety of naturally-aspirated and turbocharged powerplants, mated to either a manual gearbox or a Dualogic robotised transmission. The Ellezero (’ L0 ‘), will be manufactured in Serbia from 2012 and will likely to start from £13,000 when it launches in the third-quarter of 2012. Meanwhile, the Multipla replacement, codenamed L1 , will sport a wheelbase measuring in excess of 2.6 metres. With that in mind, it’s been confirmed that new entrant will be sold in the U.S, with production commencing in Mexico sometime next year. The ‘ L1 ‘ will be offered in two wheelbases; short and long and two seating options; 5 seat and 7 seat. Via Autoblog.rs  and Alvolante.it View post: Spied: 2013 Fiat Ellezero Continued here: Spied: 2013 Fiat Ellezero

For whatever reason, a few days before Christmas this orange Lamborghini Gallardo decided to torch itself. This is only the most recent incident in a disturbing trend of supercar self-immolation that seems to be taking the world by storm. More » View original here: See what happens when a Lamborghini Gallardo decides to set itself on fire [Video] The rest is here: See what happens when a Lamborghini Gallardo decides to set itself on fire [Video]

With Citroën developing a new C1 city-car for 2013, one would expect that Peugeot would also follow suit, alongside Toyota. But it seems that the French brand has other ideas as it plans to launch a second facelift for 107 in 2012. Caught during a photoshoot in an undisclosed location, the 107 facelift will adopt Peugeot’s new design direction, with restyled headlights, a taller, wider ‘floating grille’, and reshaped fog lamps. We expect the interior to receive a modest update, alongside the rear fascia. New alloy wheels and hues will complete the facelift for the 107 , which goes on sale in Summer 2012, after a world debut at a major motor show. The Citroën C1 , Peugeot 107 , and Toyota Aygo were all launched in Summer 2005 and were facelifted back in 2010. The trio are all built in Toyota’s assembly plant in Kolin, Czech Republic. Via Cochespias.net Read the original: Spied: 2012 Peugeot 107 II facelift More here: Spied: 2012 Peugeot 107 II facelift

Not wanting to be left out of the end of the year list fun here at Weekend Jalopnik we put together a list of our favorite posts from 2011. More » More: Top 11 Weekend Jalopnik posts of 2011 [2011] More here:  Top 11 Weekend Jalopnik posts of 2011 [2011]

We thought we would end the year on a high, with a banned Mercedes E-Class wagon commercial. The footage shows an attractive blonde woman walking into a library and asking for a burger, French fries, and milkshake. Although the advertisement is old, it is still as funny as ever! More here: Video: The banned Mercedes E-Class commercial Read more: Video: The banned Mercedes E-Class commercial

At the height of the muscle car wars in 1969, car companies were doing some new and interesting things in order to make their models stand out. More » See the original post here: Get the Javelin beat with this 1969 AMC dealer promo [Video] Continued here:  Get the Javelin beat with this 1969 AMC dealer promo [Video]

When new car shoppers find out that their cars are unable to achieve official fuel economy figures, motorists are often left frustrated, however, very few do anything about it. Call in Californian resident Heather Peters, dissatisfied owner of a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid sedan, who says her car achieves around 20mpg U.S less than the official figure. Annoyed that Honda isn’t assisting with her predicament, Peters will take Honda Motors is a Small Claims Court, where she can avoid Honda’s army of lawyers, although if she won, compensation would be limited to $10,000. However, Peters is not stopping there. She is encouraging other Civic Hybrid owners to do the same, and even set-up a website that provides a unique guideline state-by-state to take Honda to a Small Claims Court. Some say Peters’ plan could cause issues in the automotive industry. “This could create a lot of problems in the industry,” said Aaron Jacoby, a defence lawyer in Los Angeles. See more here: Honda Civic owners take Honda to small claims court (U.S) See more here: Honda Civic owners take Honda to small claims court (U.S)

Although there is an 18-month waiting list for the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 , a Los Angeles-based car hire company can get you behind the wheel of the Aventador LP 700-4 by tomorrow, for a small price. You see, Black & White Car Rental has taken delivery of a white Aventador with matte black alloy wheels and is offering the vehicle for public rental. Their rates are, to some, quite reasonable considering the cost of an Aventador , starting at $5,500 (£3,500/€4,250) a day. While the figure may be out of some customer’s price-range, the wealthy warm towards exotic car hire, as they can drive around in expensive cars without associated costs of ownership. Excerpt from: Available for rent: Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for $5,500 a day! Go here to see the original: Available for rent: Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 for $5,500 a day!

The BMW 1M takes another win. The “baby-M” collects awards after awards and to add to its credibility, the latest accolades come from Top Gear’s Richard Hammond. Here is an excerpt from his review: “Annoyingly, Ollie Marriage summed this car up perfectly in one word when he drove it for this magazine. He described it as ‘boisterous’. And that is as exact and precise a description as I could give of it using an unlimited number of words and a three-hour PowerPoint lecture. The BMW 1M Coupe is, yes, a small car, but that’s not the full story. A labrador puppy and a fully grown duck are both small and roughly the same size as each other, but only one of them will hump your leg, eat your trainers and chew your finger when you try to pet it. And it’s not the duck. So the baby BMW is exactly that, a baby, bringing with it all the potential of larger, fully grown cars, with none of the seriousness and restraint of adulthood. Still small, but what it’s got in huge, disproportionate spade loads is character. And it’s not a duck. —- The gearbox is available only as a six-speed manual. It’s brilliant: short and snappy. The M differential comes from the current M3 and does its bit not just to help control those big, slidey moments, but also to actively encourage them. Hit the M button on the steering wheel, and the traction control sits back in a deckchair and reads the paper while you go mental. But it’s always ready to cough disapprovingly, and rustle the paper a bit to calm things down if you balls it up too badly. The twin-turbo, straight-six sounds like a turbine as it spins out its 335bhp, but it’s the huge surge of torque it provides that gives it more grunt even than the M3′s V8.” Full review at Top Gear Original post: BMW 1M: Richard Hammond’s Car of the Year

Improvements in aerodynamics, reduced displacement and more efficient engines – these are all things that will improve fuel economy ratings. Weight reduction is an important factor though, and cars keep getting heavier thanks to added safety equipment. Automakers are looking for ways to use high-strength steel, aluminum and carbon fiber materials. The latter two have been expensive and for carbon fiber, hard to produce in large quantities. General Motors recently announced that it would be working with a Japanese company Teijin Limited. Their innovation is a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) technology that has a cycle and set time that is under a minute. A new metal has been announced that could potentially huge implications for the auto industry. Key word potentially – we’ve heard big promises before. It is called micro lattice, and it has been developed by the California Institute of Technology, HRL Laboratories and the University of California-Irvine. So what’s the big deal? Well, it is lighter (by 100 times they say) than styrofoam, while having the strength of steel. The micro-lattice is made up of 99.99% air and 0.01% material. Talk about revolutionary! What’s more is that the lattice gives the material impressive absorption qualities; it is able to return to complete form after 50% or more compression. Far from compromising safety, this material could actually take car safety to a new level. Julia Greer, assistant professor of materials science and mechanics at Caltech spoke with Wards Auto , saying: “Any kind of internal car component that is not super-light or made out of a heavy metal could be replaced with micro-lattice…..the traditional bulk metal (used in automobile frames) could become micro-lattice because it is just as stiff, but one-hundredth of the weight.” The material was originally developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. General Motors and Boeing are said to be extremely interested in this new technology. The question is how difficult it is to manufacture and at what cost level it will be at. It will likely be years before we see anything of the sort implemented, but nonetheless, developments like this are significant for the future of the auto industry. No related posts....

Our friend Constantine brings us a photo gallery of his BMW 1M during the 2011 Miami Art Basel. The art event takes place every year in Miami and gathers nearly 40,000 attendees. In the past years, Art Basel Miami Beach has eclipsed the original Art Basel in size and popularity, if not importance, even though they have not surpassed the attendance figures for the original. Now onto the 1M. Constantine’s passion for the brand and the car comes through some of the mods he already put in place. “Project Arabella” started with the BMW Performance black kidney grills and blacked out side gills from the folks at IND Distribution. Next, a BMW Performance Carbon Fiber spoiler will be installed. As a true enthusiast, Constantine will give the “baby-M” a power boost. Florida-based tuner Renntech will provide the power upgrade which brings the 1M total number of ponies to 370 crank hp / 420 crank TQ. Stay tuned for more updates on this project and enjoy the artsy photos below. Excerpt from: Photo Gallery: BMW 1M at Miami Art Basel