The next BMW M3 is already in the works making rounds at the normal Nurburgring testing grounds. Aside from finding out what will be under the bonnet of the new M3 or M4, whichever BMW decides to name it, enthusiasts want to know what BMW’s prided sports coupe will look like. Our good friends at BMWBlog , through the Facebook page of Iacoski , rendered the new M3/M4 into reality. So far, in my opinion, this is the best looking representation of what the new BMW M3/M4 could look like. What do you think, love it or leave it?                   Go here to read the rest: Next Generation BMW M3/M4 Rendered Into Reality Read the original here:  Next Generation BMW M3/M4 Rendered Into Reality

For another year, Santa Claus competed his tour across the globe distributing gifts for up to 267,300,000 homes and residences in 2011 to the attention of good children. Again, the Christmas time delivery of presents worldwide remains to be a baffling development. An age-long question concludes to go unanswered; how does Santa Claus completes so many deliveries in just one night. Ford Motor Company calculated that a trip just less than 441,447,814 miles was completed by Santa’s sleigh this year. In other real-world assessments of the annual journey with nine reindeer, Ford crunched numbers speculating that the 2011 trip would require 182 million pounds of food for the well-being of the reindeer. Twisting the spirit of Christmas, Ford stuns us with the announcement that Santa’s over 441 million-mile trip emits 214,670 tons of carbon dioxide. News that definitely provokes environmentalist to surface misgivings on Santa Claus, Ford floats a proposal for a more fuel-efficient travel vessel. Based on the Ford Evos concept car unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, a high-tech sleigh is considered Santa’s future transportation when delivering children’s gifts across the world. An open-air vehicle designed by Ford’s Paul Wraith, the shiny red Evos concept sleigh rides on skis. Door edge protector, Blind Spot Information System and active park assist insures Santa Claus can place the Ford Evos concept sleigh into the tightest cityscapes. Though the power from an intrepid group of magical reindeer have been the traditional mode of transport for Santa Claus’ sleigh, Ford Motor Company believes their EcoBoost technology will be the source for future Christmas carols. The turbocharged, direct-injected one-liter engine found inside the Ford Evos concept sleigh propels Santa Claus and the sizable cargo with 123 horsepower. Productive EcoBoost power, the high fuel efficiency is aided by an EcoMode that relays gas-saving information for the jolly elf. It is in this area of fuel consumption Ford claims their Evos concept sleigh can reward Santa with up to a 90 percent reduction in fuel costs. Said to complete the entire 2011 Christmas Eve night trip on 10,011,868 liters (2644855.7 gallons) of gasoline, Ford estimates a total cost around 15.5...

The appeal of the Bugatti Veyron is it’s so fast and so well-engineered any obscenely wealthy person can hop into it and be faster than other, poorer, people. Not this guy. He appears to not understand how the vehicle’s launch control works and sits there, lamely, as the guy in the GT-R blows him away. More » View original here: Über Fail: $1.6 million Bugatti Veyron loses drag race to Nissan GT-R [Video] See more here:  Über Fail: $1.6 million Bugatti Veyron loses drag race to Nissan GT-R [Video]

This isn’t the first time a whole row of vehicles has been wiped out at Tropical Chevrolet in Miami Shores. It’s the second time. The first time, an out-of-control Corvette bounded into the dealership lot and destroyed a bunch of SUVs. This time, it was a line of Corvette Grand Sports. More » Original post: How did a row of new Corvettes get destroyed at this Miami dealership? [Car Crashes] More here:  How did a row of new Corvettes get destroyed at this Miami dealership? [Car Crashes]

New Year’s Eve is a few days away, but now is the time to plan your night out, especially how you will get home if you are too drunk to drive. A designated driver is the best way to get home safe if you plan on drinking this holiday weekend. If you don’t have someone who will take that responsibility, AAA has listed information gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of sober/safe ride programs in each state across the country. They list the hours available and phone number to call. One program called Safe Ride Solutions is a national service available 24/7. They have an off-duty or recently retired officer pick you and your guests up and drive you home in your vehicle. Others organizations such as SoberRide give you a free cab ride home during the holiday season and other holidays where drinking is prevalent such as St. Patrick’s Day and 4th of July. See the full list of sober ride programs in your area and don’t forget to put the number in your cell phone just in case. New Year’s Eve is typically one of the deadliest for drunk driving accidents and police will be out in force to ticket offenders. For tips to keep in mind as you ring in the New Year, see our blog . Have a happy and safe New Year. More: Find a sober ride this New Year’s Eve

N54 Legal Matters I received a piece of mail yesterday that was a bit interesting. It seems that one legal challenge to the issues with the high pressure fuel pumps (HPFP) on the N54 engine has reached a resolution. If you’ve been following the message boards you’ll have some background of what has transpired, from one perspective anyway. The condensed version is this, there were problems with the original HPFP on the N54 engine. BMW eventually issued a recall for the pumps and has been replacing them with what is described as a new generation HPFP. However, before the recall, numerous owners of BMWs equipped with N54s had to replace the pumps after the pumps’ failure out of their own pocket. Those that did pay the freight out of pocket to replace the pump will be reimbursed for actual costs plus rental car fees (up to $44 per day) and will receive an additional cash payment that depends on the total number of pumps that had to be replaced. In lieu of a cash payment, the claimant can opt for an $800 purchase credit on a new BMW. The settlement also states that the previously announced warranty extension for the HPFP will remain in place and that a 1 year or 12,000 mile warranty extension for defective turbochargers is to be implemented. I have to confess that I’ve had the HPFP and two injectors replaced under warranty (my 2008 135i did eventually exhibit the ‘long start’ symptoms of the faulty HPFP). So I’m not entitled to any compensation. Also, if it can be shown that modifications to a vehicle impacted the operation of the HPFP, that owner would not be entitled to compensation. The question is, “is it fair?” Yeah, looks fair to me. Nobody hits the jackpot with the settlement. Well, nobody but the lawyers that is (maybe). The law firm that handled the case will earn compensation up to, but not to exceed, $1,750,000. I do suspect that a lot of time and effort went into the lawsuit, so I’m not even sure that’s an onerous amount. All in all, it looks about right to me, but then I don’t play a lawyer on TV. The i8 Breaks Cover Thanks to the good people at Brenda Priddy & Co. we got to see what appears to be a production version of the i8 in camouflage recently. Yes the doors will not be the same,...

As midsize sedans go, the 2012 Ford Fusion tends to blend into the background of the automotive landscape. It’s not overly flashy, and it doesn’t star in any wacky internet promotions or even many prime-time ads. It’s getting up in years, too, having hit the U.S. market back in 2006. Despite these points, the current Ford Fusion… Original post: Outgoing Ford Fusion Racks Up Record Sales

An interesting interview surfaced from egmcartech.com , wherein they sat with BMW of North America’s M-Division Product Manager, Matt Russell. BMWBLOG has known Matt for some time, and we’ve always admired his passion for the brand and no nonsense focus on performance. The fact Matt owns and has in fact raced E30s only adds to his credibility. In his interview with emgcartech.com, Matt fired back when pressed about M’s intentions of building a supercar. Here, in part, is his rebuttal to the supercar question: “A lot of people come to me and ask, does M need a supercar? We’ve had the choice to do something like that that when we were planning the 1-Series M Coupe. Amongst its development, we all pondered: do we do a supercar as in a mid-engined wedge, or some super high-priced front-engined wedge?,” said Russell. “We’ve discussed these possibilities. But ultimately, we didn’t feel the need to make a very exclusive high-end supercar and we still don’t. I already firmly believe that we produce supercars, except that they’re two in one: an executive car with supercar performance. They are the essence of BMW M-Cars.” “The new M5 is undoubtedly a supercar from the driver’s seat. It can accelerate with a Lamborghini if not faster in some cases, it will brake with almost anything out there, and again, we like to build two cars in one: this is what M does. Nobody offers that perfect combination of a driver’s car and an executive car that you can use everyday. So technically, we already build supercars.” When pressed further about M building an Audi R8, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG or Lexus LFA competitor, Matt responded to egmcartech.com, “I look at those cars in two different ways: cosmetically and at a performance stand point. Sure Lexus, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche all created supercars with a great deal of sex appeal. But I see our M cars as sexy too. Performance wise, they’re not doing anything that we haven’t already done in a two-door sports coupe or four-door sports sedan, thus there’s no huge performance breakthrough on those cars that we can’t create or sell at a lower price point. All of that said, we don’t think the BMW M buyer needs a super exclusive and super expensive car because of what they get from our current...

One of the staples of the luxury SUV market, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class is redesigned for 2012. While this M-Class feels like an evolutionary change from the previous generation, it’s easy to forget that it once was a trendsetter. “Is This the Future of SUVs?” suggested the cover line of the September 1998 issue of Consumer Reports, next to a picture of the first-generation ML320. Although built on a full frame like traditional SUVs, that M-Class ushered in now commonplace design features for better collision compatibility with lower-slung cars. While a cleverly-designed vehicle overall and a strong seller, the Alabama-built Mercedes felt more “built to a cost” than previous Mercedes. Reliability was lousy too. The second-generation M-Class (2006-2011) moved to a unibody platform. It was considerably better-finished and benefitted from Mercedes’ brand-wide improvement in reliability. Initial impressions of this redesign are that the new ML350 brings some improvements. It is very quiet inside the well-finished and luxurious cabin. Dashboard controls have been simplified over the years, especially compared to early Mercedes COMAND systems. But changes to the steering have sapped some of the agility of the previous ML350. Our ML350 is relatively modestly equipped. It has 19” wheels, a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, and running boards. A $3600 options package includes navigation, voice controls, memory for various driver settings, a rear view camera, and satellite radio. A trailer hitch enables use of the M-Class’s generous 7200-lb towing capacity. Oddly, we also have a $240 package that includes “rear seat entertainment pre-wiring” – but no rear seat entertainment. At least it throws in passenger seat memory and lumbar adjustment. All in, our ML350 stickered at $56,960. The ML faces some pretty stiff competition in this segment. Volkswagen redesigned the Tourareg for 2011, considerably improving it. BMW’s popular X5 outsells the M-Class, and the Lexus RX350 typically outsells both combined. While much less expensive, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is based on the same platform as the new M-Class, bringing new levels of refinement and better road manners. We’ll see where the ML350 slots...

If you have ever wondered how car engineers conduct tests on prototypes, look no further. German car marque, Porsche, has released this 10 minute long footage of the new 911 (codenamed 991) undergoing rigorous testing in South Africa and the Arctic Circle, to ensure every component is reliable and to avoid costly mistakes. Original post: Video: Development of the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) More here:  Video: Development of the 2012 Porsche 911 (991)

These are not the most important stories of 2011 and they’re not the most-read stories, either. These are just our readers’ favorites, narrowed down by Jalopnik readers to just ten classic stories. More » Original post: Your ten favorite Jalopnik stories of 2011 [Video] Go here to see the original:  Your ten favorite Jalopnik stories of 2011 [Video]

If you’re an American of a certain age, it was hard not to watch news coverage of Kim Jong-il’s funeral procession, lined with thousands of keening North Koreans, and not think of that Simpsons episode about the charlatan called “The Leader”. And if you looked a little closer, there was more irony to be found: as the New York Times pointed out… See the rest here:  Kim Jong-Il Takes One Last Drive — In A Lincoln Continental

The US military is serious about reducing its dependence on traditional fuel sources . Case in point: the FED solar and hybrid Humvees that will burn 70 percent less fuel than traditional armored troop transports. More » See the original post: The FED hybrid Humvee will save the U.S. Army millions at the pump [Military Vehicles] Excerpt from:  The FED hybrid Humvee will save the U.S. Army millions at the pump [Military Vehicles]

The Bulgarian interior specialists from Vilner gave the Mercedes-Benz Vito van a complete interior makeover Here is the original post: Mercedes-Benz Vito Van by Vilner

NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne has apologized for a Twitter rant he made against public breastfeeding yesterday. It escalated into an all-out tweet-flame war when a woman, offended by his comment, tweeted that he was a “douchebag.” In response, Kahne called her a “dumb bitch.” And that’s when shit got real. More » Continued here: NASCAR’s Kasey Kahne apologizes for calling mom of three a ‘dumb bitch’ [Kasey Kahne] Here is the original: NASCAR’s Kasey Kahne apologizes for calling mom of three a ‘dumb bitch’ [Kasey Kahne]