A young man passionate about art and architecture, Christopher Weil, is part of Adrian Van Hooydonk’s design team at BMW and responsible for the exterior design of the new F30 BMW 3 Series. At Detroit Auto Show, our own Shawn Molnar spent some time with Weil to learn more about the design language of the iconic 3 Series. BMWBLOG: Chris, can you tell us what have you done with the design of the new BMW 3 Series? Christopher Weil: First of all, the BMW 3 Series is completely inspired by history somehow because the 3 Series itself has a great history. That’s why I wanted to bring back some strong elements, like the unit between the kidney grille and the headlamp area, this connection between them. There was already a connection in the past, if we take for example the E21 or E30 – the first 3 Series, they had a headline unit with a black panel, which was leading towards the kidneys, and this here is a modern and fresh interpretation of this unit. The kidney itself is also tri-dimensional, and with this sharp cut and this piece of chrome the kidney looks more solid now, more tied into the car, like it’s a solid block, like a jewel nicely integrated into the whole body. As the kidney is a very strong icon – the main BMW icon, I would say – I wanted to emphasize this particular item to develop it further, somehow. BMWBLOG: Are there other design elements on the new 3 Series, anywhere else on the car, that are sort of new, or back to be resurrected, like the connection between the headlights and the kidney grille? Christopher Weil: If we look lower, we have an aero tech theme with one small band in the middle and two big openings on the sides, which is also new for BMW. We tried to develop this theme towards sportiness, because this is the sportiest sedan we offer. If you take the roof for example, the hood is sloping towards the front – it has a nice sweep and this is also a very sporty element, the way it drops down and the whole body side is enhancing the sportiness. We also have the double zicke line – which we see for the first time: the zicke line starting at the headlamp, running through the rear door, and the second zicke line, which is starting at the front fender and all the way to the back. This is a new approach,...

Who would have thought that with 50-mpg fuel-economy rules around the corner, Ford would be striving to push a version of the Mustang above 200 mph? It wasn’t long ago that such a top speed was strictly reserved for wedge-shaped exotica. Keep Reading: In Depth: 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Feature Read more: 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: How Ford Built the First 200-mph Pony Car Original post:  2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: How Ford Built the First 200-mph Pony Car

While nearly every automaker reported brisk, upbeat sales numbers for the first month of 2012, General Motors didn’t have much to cheer. GM sales were off by 6 percent last month, while its crosstown rivals were up, strongly in the case of Chrysler, which reported a sales increase of 44 percent, while Ford rose 7 percent. Also on the upturn were… Go here to see the original:  January 2012 Car Sales Are Strong–Except At GM

Toyota is giving you the chance to win not one, but two 2012 Toyota Camrys this week. It’s part of a promotion called “The Camry Effect”, which involves a new ad campaign, the Shazam smartphone app, and Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast. Sound confusing? That’s because is. Let us break it down for you: • The first commercial of “The Camry Effect”… Original post: How To Win Two 2012 Toyota Camrys During The Super Bowl: Video

Today at High Gear Media, we talk about whether diesel cars are relevant in the U.S. and why Jaguar is closing its heritage museum to the public. Chrysler’s built a record number of Pentastar engines and we’ve driven the Range_e Plug-In Hybrid prototype. All this and more in today’s car news, right here on The Car Connection. A new study says… View post: Jeep’s Big Recall, 2013 BMW 4-Series Coupe, Jaguar Museum: Car News Headlines

Filed under: Latest News After a late May 2011 debut in concept form, the production Aston Martin V12 Zagato is ready to be seen in the wider world. The car will be first seen at the Kuwait Concours d’Elegance in mid-February. It’ll be seen alongside some of the world’s rarest and most beautiful metal. Only 150 V12 Zagatos will be built and customers will get their cars later this year. Each car will cost an eyewatering £330,000 (excluding local taxes). Also at the Concourse will be a selection of rare and historic Aston Martins from owners all over the world – one of the motors on display will be the iconic DB4GT Zagato, the first Aston to bare the Zagato name. The DB4GT Zagato came to be when, 50 years ago, Aston wanted to remove more weight from the ’standard’ DB4GT . To achieve this Aston asked Zagato to give it a working over as the Italian firm was known for undertaking such projects. Zagato got the designs for the original DB4GT Zagato finished in just a week. 19 were built and all of them are still around. Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin said: “We are excited to show the new V12 Zagato for the first time in production form at the Kuwait Concours d’Elegance. Over 50 years since the introduction of the iconic DB4GT Zagato, Aston Martin and Zagato have collaborated to create this modern interpretation which remains true to the original focus of craftsmanship, performance and exclusivity.” The new V12 Zagato is a little more powerful than the DB4GT, though. Its 6.0-litre V12 produces 510bhp and 420lb ft of torque. That should be enough for daily driving, racing and dramatic car chases across foreign mountain ranges.   Go here to read the rest: Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to make Kuwait debut Read the original post: Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to make Kuwait debut

At the recent Detroit Auto Show, BMWBLOG had the opportunity to interview Karim Habib, BMW’s Head of Exterior Designer. The 40-year old designer has been known as the creator of the new BMW 7 Series and CS Concept exterior design. On completing his design studies in California, Karim Habib held various posts in interior and exterior design before being appointed Team Leader, Advanced Design for the BMW Group. After a short stint at Mercedes-Benz, Habib returned as the head of the Exterior Design BMW Automobiles department. BMWBLOG: Which BMW product that you’ve worked on are you most proud of? Karim Habib: It’s always very difficult for me to point one out because the focus shifts, but I would say the new F30 3 Series. Even as a designer, when you know the car for years and then you see the car on the road for the first time, there are still elements that you discover right then. I’m still discovering it and feel more and more impressed about the 3 Series when you see the car on the street, so it’s probably one of the cars I like best. The new BMW 3 Series BMWBLOG: When it comes to the new 3 Series, can you tell us about the overall design and what BMW has done with the new F30 3 Series? Karim Habib: Generally, the 3 Series is obviously a very important car. The car has always been the leader in its category – so when we approach a car like that, we pay very close attention to the fact that we want to and we strive to still be the best. This car is a bit longer and a bit wider than the previous generation, and proportion-wise, I think we took a pretty good car and made it a little better. In terms of the design language we liked to play as well with sportiness and elegance. One major thing about the new 3 Series is the new front fascia – it’s the first time we’re introducing the headlights that connect to the kidneys. I believe we managed to do something that looks sportier – you have a directing graphic from one side to the other, which makes the car wider. You can see more chrome and have the feeling that the kidneys have a 3D effect, a sculpted one; we tried to make the car look more elegant, more luxurious. BMWBLOG: Speaking of the front fascia – we know about the air curtain technology, which contributes towards a drag coefficient...

At the recent Detroit Auto Show, BMWBLOG had the opportunity to interview Karim Habib, BMW’s Head of Exterior Designer. The 40-year old designer has been known as the creator of the new BMW 7 Series and CS Concept exterior design. On completing his design studies in California, Karim Habib held various posts in interior and exterior design before being appointed Team Leader, Advanced Design for the BMW Group. After a short stint at Mercedes-Benz, Habib returned as the head of the Exterior Design BMW Automobiles department. BMWBLOG: Which BMW product that you’ve worked on are you most proud of? Karim Habib: It’s always very difficult for me to point one out because the focus shifts, but I would say the new F30 3 Series. Even as a designer, when you know the car for years and then you see the car on the road for the first time, there are still elements that you discover right then. I’m still discovering it and feel more and more impressed about the 3 Series when you see the car on the street, so it’s probably one of the cars I like best. The new BMW 3 Series BMWBLOG: When it comes to the new 3 Series, can you tell us about the overall design and what BMW has done with the new F30 3 Series? Karim Habib: Generally, the 3 Series is obviously a very important car. The car has always been the leader in its category – so when we approach a car like that, we pay very close attention to the fact that we want to and we strive to still be the best. This car is a bit longer and a bit wider than the previous generation, and proportion-wise, I think we took a pretty good car and made it a little better. In terms of the design language we liked to play as well with sportiness and elegance. One major thing about the new 3 Series is the new front fascia – it’s the first time we’re introducing the headlights that connect to the kidneys. I believe we managed to do something that looks sportier – you have a directing graphic from one side to the other, which makes the car wider. You can see more chrome and have the feeling that the kidneys have a 3D effect, a sculpted one; we tried to make the car look more elegant, more luxurious. BMWBLOG: Speaking of the front fascia – we know about the air curtain technology, which contributes towards a drag coefficient...

By the sheer number of entries one might have assumed a BMW team would be on the top step of the podium in the Continental Tire BMW 200 at Daytona Speedway. While a BMW did lead in both the GS and ST field the end result was 3 BMWs on the podium steps but none on that slightly higher step occupied by the race winner. The BMW M3s from Fall-Line battled the Mustangs from Roush all day in GS and the Bimmerworld 328s battled the Kia Forte and Mazda Speed3. David Levine piloted the 328 to perfection in his opening stint on a wet track. Eventually taking P1. Gregory Liefooghe hopped in to close and as late as 1:40 remaining held P1. At Daytona you can live and die by drafting and unfortunately very late the drafting was used against him. Bimmerworld had a strong performance in the Roar Before Test and followed up with a strong 3rd place finish. Fall-Line fielded three M3s and a strong driver line up lead to a P2 and P3 finsih from the boys from Illinois! Full Timing and Scoring -  www.Grand-Am.com BMW Performance 200: The Stats GS 1st: Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr., No. 61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302 R GS 2nd: Charles Putman and Charles Espenlaub, No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 GS 3rd: Bryan Sellers and Mark Boden, No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 ST 1st: Pierre Kleinubing and Jayson Clunie, No. 31 iMoto/Cybernation.net Mazda Speed 3 ST 2nd: Nic Jonsson and Andy Lally, No. 10 Kia Motors American Kia Forte Koup ST 3rd: Gregory Liefooghe and David A. Levine, No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i Margin of Victory:  1.061 seconds (overall); .021 seconds (ST) Average Speed:   109.365 mph (overall); 101.926 mph (ST) Cautions: Six for 25 laps Photographer Halston Pitman MotorSportMedia View original post here:  BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway Race Day

BMW today revealed the first images and information about the newly updated 2013 BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe which arrives in US BMW Centers this spring. The world’s first ever Sports Activity Coupe stills offers a unique combination of sporty dynamics, versatility and unmatched character. Select design updates and innovative features further hone the profile of the new BMW X6 as a distinctive model within the premium segment of all-wheel-drive vehicles. Its ongoing popularity is due to both its highly expressive design, which combines the athletic and elegant lines of a coupe with the unique character of a BMW X model, and the outstanding driving experience provided by two powerful engines featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and xDrive, the intelligent all-wheel-drive system. The BMW X6 continues to offer Dynamic Performance Control which gives the Sports Activity Coupe unparalleled agility for a vehicle in this segment. Since its market launch, more than 150,000 Sports Activity Coupes have been sold globally in the last three years with over 20,000 sold here in the US. This has far exceeded the original expectations. The continuing high level of demand for the BMW X6 on worldwide markets is affirmation of the ground-breaking vehicle concept of the Sports Activity Coupe. Striking design features front and rear, adaptive LED headlamps a new option. Precisely modified up front give the new BMW X6 an appearance characterized by athleticism and style. The standard foglights are now set in matt finish surrounds in the upper area of the outer air inlets. Their higher and more lateral position emphasizes the width of the vehicle. The striking three-dimensional modeling of the frame and newly designed bars, angled in the lower section, make the BMW kidney grille stand out conspicuously in the vehicle’s front end. The angle of the grille bars is flush with the bottom of the headlamp units, thereby creating an additional horizontal line which likewise highlights the wide track and road-holding prowess of the new BMW X6. As an alternative to the standard Xenon headlights, the new BMW X6 is the first vehicle in its segment to be available with adaptive LED headlights. Their bright white light ensures optimum visibility, while their high-quality appearance represents...

With its BMW M Performance Automobiles, BMW M GmbH is adding four newly developed models to its product range. These cars come with a significant boost in performance and hallmark M precision in the interplay of the powertrain, chassis and aerodynamics – coupled with unrestricted everyday utility and high levels of efficiency. The BMW M550d xDrive, BMW M550d xDrive Touring, BMW X5 M50d and BMW X6 M50d models will have their world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show (8 – 18 March 2012). The market launch of the BMW M Performance Automobiles starts just a few weeks later. The BMW M550d xDrive and BMW M550d xDrive Touring models will be available in German showrooms from 12 May 2012, with the BMW X5 M50d and BMW X6 M50d following on 16 June 2012. Below are the selling prices of the BMW M Performance Automobiles in Germany, including VAT (19%): BMW M550d xDrive                                             80 800 EUR BMW M550d xDrive Touring                               83 750 EUR BMW X5 M50d                                                     82 300 EUR BMW X6 M50d                                                     85 800 EUR The BMW M550d xDrive and BMW M550d xDrive Touring models will be built at the BMW plant in Dingolfing, which also manufactures the other models of the BMW 5 Series range, the BMW 6 Series models and the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans. The BMW X5 M50d and BMW X6 M50d will be produced at BMW Plant Spartanburg in the USA, the competence centre for BMW X models within the BMW Group’s global production network. More here: BMW M Performance Automobiles: market launch dates and prices for Germany

January 2012 will mark the 50th running of the world famous 24 Hours of Daytona. While this year will be a hallmark for the race itself, its also shaping up to be quite an event for BMW enthusiasts. Over the last few years, the presence of the Bavarian Motor Works along the pit lane of Daytona has only continued to grow. Last year, after an incredible triple stint by BMW Team RLL driver Joey Hand, the Chip Ganassi Racing Daytona Prototype pulled off an overall victory, fighting down to the last lap. The engine resting amidships the Ganassi prototype? A BMW 5.0 liter V8! This year promises to be just as exciting with a multitude of teams competing with the help of  BMW Power across a number of different classes. Turner Motorsport will be on-hand once again with M3′s to contend the GT class against the likes of Porsche GT3′s, Mazda RX8′s and Camaros. Turner brings with them an impressive driver line-up with Jorg Muller, Dirk Muller and Bill Auberlen – all well-established drivers behind the wheel of a BMW. Interestingly, APR Motorsport will bring an Audi R8 into Grand AM for the first time to battle it out with the likes of the BMW M3′s with former Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro – someone well-versed at delivering victories behind the wheel of an Audi. No doubt, Turner Motorsport will be pushing to beat out the incumbent Daytona winners TRG Motorsports and their Porsches and the overall GT champs from 2011: Brumos Porsche and their red, white and blue GT3′s! In the DP class – the Ganassi team will have their work cut out for them with new competition from Chevy Corvette entries and renewed efforts by the Action Express team. To combat the challenge - TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley has enlisted a driver roster of the who’s who of motorsports with Graham Rahal, Joey Hand, Dario Franchitti, Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya making up the bulk of the team. Expect to see some great DP class battles with the notable drivers such as Alan McNish, Lucas Luhr and Jan Magnussen in other Daytona Prototypes as the race plays out over this Saturday and Sunday. To celebrate what could very well be a repeat of last year – a BMW-powered car landing the top podium spot – the Jacksonville-based...

Today at High Gear Media, Nissan showed how the Leaf handles winter weather while Honda delivered the first Fit EV. We drove the 2012 Camaro ZL1 and Saab Cars North America is being liquidated. All this and more in today’s car news, right here on The Car Connection. The Supreme Court has deemed it illegal and unconstitutional for cops to use GPS… Originally posted here:  2012 Lexus RX 350 Reviewed, 2012 Camaro ZL1 Driven: Today’s Car News

Mercedes-Benz released the first teaser video of the 2012 A-Class wrapped in QR Code ahead of the Geneva Motor Show More here: 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Teaser Video

Fuel During a discussion of the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 recently, the subject of energy density came up. Batteries have so much lower energy density than gasoline or diesel that even with the efficiency superiority of an electric motor over an internal combustion engine, it still can’t deliver the range of an IC powered car. The current ‘best’ battery tech, Lithium Ion, has a theoretical maximum denisty of about two times current energy density. That would bring a 100 mile ranged car up to about 200 miles, or it could increase significantly the performance of the vehicle and leave the range the same, or the vehicle weight could be reduced and the range and performance remain the same. Until battery energy density improves by a factor of four or five, battery powered electric vehicles will continue to be considered ‘urban mobility’ solutions. That may have to wait on breakthroughs in nanotechnology to transform the storage capacity of the battery cells. Here is an interesting tidbit – that you may be able to win a bar bit from a total geek on – and a hat tip to a BMWBLOG reader for mentioning this in the comments from a previous article. The energy density per unit of mass of gasoline is higher than diesel. Where people get tripped up is that given equivalent volumes (US gallons for example) of diesel and gasoline, a gallon of diesel weighs more and actually has a higher energy density per given volume than gasoline. Design There was an online article, Technology Review’s, “Automobile Design for the Connected Age – Technology Review” (URL here: http://www.technologyreview. com/business/39483/?p1=BI ) that included an interview with BMW’s chief designer, Adrian van Hooydonk. During the interview van Hooydonk stated that he begine his design career as an industrial designer and that was revealing (and brought a smile to my face). Industrial design was a creation of the third and fourth decades of the 20th Century (1920-30s). Industrial design brought styling and ergonomics to consumer goods. The best written account of industrial design was done by a husband and wife team of designers, the Cheney’s. Their book, “Art and the Machine”, is a sought after classic. Industrial design has given us some greats, Raymond...