Building anticipation for the upcoming 2011 BMW 5 Series, new information have been released by people close to BMW. While there are no breaking news, some bits of information have been revealed for the first time, such as future 5 Mild Hybrid models that will come with both gasoline and diesel engines. The text below will also give you a better understanding of BMW has prepared for its customers and how the new 5er differentiates itself from other BMW models and the competition. We haven’t altered the text so you will see it its raw, unedited form. Die Neue Klasse The dream of a perfect car is promised much but seldom delivered. What constitutes the perfect car? The right balance and a perfect synergy of dynamics , looks and efficiency? BMW will revise the term much used in past success “Die neue Klasse” to welcome its new F10 5er the 6th generation model of the highly successful and important mid class sedan (or if you perceive history the 7th generation if you include the predecessor to the 5er the BMW 1500. The new 5er will of course replace the successful and avantgarde looking E60 series of the BMW 5er and will be an all new car from the ground up although with the advent of the BMW 5er Gran Turismo although a member of the same family on the exterior surface there are few areas shared with the 5er . Door Mirrors , Side indicator lights and door handles are the relatively evident components identified between the 5er and the 5er Gran Turismo. Every body panel is unique to the 5er as BMW claim the 5er Gran Turismo is a stand alone premium concept. The new 5er in design brief was to produce a car that looks expensive but more modern and proportionate than a typical mid segment sedan. The low roofline and short overhangs are typical of this approach and in general the car is evenly proportioned with a wider track to accommodate larger wheelarches which was a visual problem with the E60 when run on 16″ or 17″ wheels because it made the car look heavy which meant to have the car looking perfect the optional 18″ wheels had to be applied to show the proportions of the modern appearance of the E60. The 5er preserves the exclusivity of a new BMW and avoids duplicating the 7er’s look as a smaller 7er or the phrase...

BMW X6 M launched early last month during an international event at the Road America track in Atlanta. We were there to first report our impressions on the first Sports Activity Vehicle Motorsport model from BMW. While most of the test driving there took place on the track, we’re anxiously waiting to see how the car handles on the road. The fellows at Car and Driver got their hands on a press car prototype and took it through a few test drives, from a drag race to a track and onto off-road. Ironmein: We subject BMW’s latest M-spawned monster to a triathlon and find that 555 horsepower can change opinions about fat SUVs Triathlon Event No. 1: Drag Racing BMW swore that our X6 M was a burgundy cannonball in a straight line, so our first competition was run-whatcha-brung night at nearby Milan Dragway. This event held great appeal, inasmuch as almost nothing is required of the driver, apart from those long, hot waits in the staging lanes, where most racers place bags of ice on their intake manifolds and fiddle with hot Holleys and push their cars by hand so that the engines remain cool. Not us. We idled for 20 minutes at a crack, with the A/C blasting, seat fans at max blow, seat massagers silently unkinking thigh muscles, and Steve Tormé—Velvet Fog fils—singing “Straighten Up and Fly Right” out of 11 speakers surrounded by “Merino” leather, which perhaps comes from Miami dolphins. Our X6 M was a prototype and wasn’t equipped with launch control, which will be standard on production models and will likely improve acceleration times by a couple 10ths. So, before each run, it was necessary to program the X6 M for take-no-prisoners mode. I first had to press the minuscule “M” button on the steering wheel that was programmed to disable most of the stability control, then up popped a menu on the nav screen on which I had to toggle through “Settings,” “M Drive,” “Power Sport,” and “Power Sport” again (because the only alternative is “Efficient,” which is not a term anyone would ever use to describe my driving). After all that, of course, I’d worked up quite a sweat, so I had a sip of cool iced tea stored in the center console and calmed my nerves by eating three tasty digestive biscuits. Continue reading at Car...

Every so often, Mazda makes a more sporting concept vehicle of its much beloved MX-5/Miata. It looks like this years Frankfurt Auto Show will see the debut of yet another one of these highly interesting little sportscars that will make me wonder if Mazda will finally let something like this out on the streets. For a time now in Miata circles, people have been asking Mazda to make something really cut down and light weight. The Miata is pretty damn featherweight as it is. The current model, the heaviest Mazda has ever made still comes in at around 2400 pounds or so. But even back when the NA was only 3 or 4 years on the market and tipping the scales at 2090 pounds, a lot of people were asking for a factory stripper. So what will the company form Hiroshima be tempting us with this time around? They say it will be an “ultra sports-oriented concept, low-feature” type of the MX-5 Miata. Called the MX-5 Superlight, the car looks back to the days of no roof at all sportscars that “made more sense on a track than as a daily driver.” Yeah, for them maybe, but I’m different that way. Mazda is being coy with the details at the moment, but they did say that the MX-5 Superlight will be greener than the showroom models via extensive weight-reducing efforts throughout the vehicle. Mazda noted that both CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are down. Curiously, the concept car was styled at the automaker’s studio in Frankfurt, Germany, and sadly it’s intended to be a pure show car, not a production model, according to Mazda. But what the hell do they know? Mazda should build it. Or if not a direct copy of what will be on the show stand in Frankfurt, then something else. They should take the current, base model MX-5 and strip everything out that doesn’t make the car go faster or help it meet road regs. Get a couple of Mazdaspeed racing seats and drop those in. Make the passenger’s a quick detach unit so it can be pulled form the car in a matter of seconds. All sound deadening: Gone. All carpet: Gone. Radio/CD/etc. and the antenna: All gone. Trunk: Stripped of everything but the spare, the jack and a nice factory tool kit that fits in one of the recesses. A/C: Gone. Center Console: Gone. Windshield wipers: One on the driver’s side...

The final production version of the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost will arrive at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show next month, but this preview video produced by Rolls-Royce shows you all there is to know about this new "smaller" Rolls-Royce. 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show See the rest here: Frankfurt Preview: 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost View post:  Frankfurt Preview: 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Yes, you read that right, a turbocharged Cadillac. And it's an SUV. Actually, the 2010 Cadillac SRX is more like a crossover as it's not particularly rugged or adept at towing things. It is much more fun to drive than its normally aspirated counterpart though. Senior Editor Dan Pund found the more powerful 2.8-liter V6 a big improvement over the somewhat lackluster 3.0-liter V6 in the base SRX. He even preferred its six-speed automatic over the one found used with the larger V6. Find out why in our latest first drive. First Drive: 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8 Turbo   More: First Drive: 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo View post:  First Drive: 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo

General Motors Company has no intention of reopening the sale process for its Opel brand and wants to complete a deal with one of the two remaining bidders as soon as possible. CFO Ray Young said yesterday that the automaker is looking to wrap up the sale as quick as possible even though GM’s financial position is no longer in immediate threat. Magna International and Belgium-based investor RHJ International are in the race to buy Opel from GM. Berlin has shown its support for Magna’s offer. Separately, RHJ improved its bid by stating that it will ask for less than 3 billion euros ($4.25 billion) of state aid as part of a bid for Opel. – By: Omar Rana Source: Reuters Read more from the original source: GM wants to get Opel sale done quickly, RHJ improves bid More:  GM wants to get Opel sale done quickly, RHJ improves bid

Well, so much for the excitement after seeing the spy photos of what seemed to be the BMW Concept car that will be revealed at Frankfurt Auto Show. This is not actually the BMW eco concept to be revealed at the Frankfurt motor show, but a five-year-old design study, according to the company. A spokesman for BMW this morning told Autocar UK that it is a model being moved from the central design facility. A late rumor showed up on the web yesterday when a source close to BMW stated that this could be one of the multiple design proposals, a full scale clay model, that is presented to the board before a final decision is made. As Autocar confirmed, this was a study case made to explore “different design directions and aerodynamics.” Knowing how well the BMW marketing machine works, it is not hard to believe that these photos might have been released to get some feedback from the BMW community or to create some buzz prior to the Frankfurt Auto Show. Did it work? Without a doubt….Are we a bit disappointed? Yes, since we have definitely fallen for it. BMW still plans to release the eco-hybrid sports car at the IAA Show which most likely it will be the Vision Z Concept. [Source: Autocar UK ] Originally posted here: BMW says: “This is not the BMW eco concept going to the Frankfurt motor show”

As you noticed in the title, we’re refraining from giving any name to the Concept car spotted a few days ago. In the BMW community, there is no consensus so far, some believe we’re looking at the BMW Vision Z Concept, others refer to it as the 6 Series GT and to go even further, some believe this is the past rumored BMW X4 . So for now, until we get all the facts straight, let’s just refer to it as the BMW Sports Car concept since it is indeed a sportier than usual bimmer. With that being said, our friend Jon Sibal used his magic photoshop skills to unveil what’s hiding underneath that cover. Of course, it is just an attempt and it might not even be close to the “real deal”, but hey….we do enjoy these renderings and they’re great at making good conversation. So let’s see what Jon had in mind when he decided to draw this car: So I decided to fire up the ‘ol Photoshop and have a go to see what’s underneath that skin tight plastic cover. As I slowly peal off the cover, there are some prominent lines like the headlight area and the upturned kidney grills that pops up right away. I then just did my thing and “filled in the blanks”. The BMW C-pillar design feature “Hoffmeister kink” is still there but now surrounded by a new shape. I didn’t like the “slave wheels” they used, so I swapped a better set of wheels to replace it. I kept it at the same ride height as in the base picture, although I feel that it will probably be lower when being shown. I also intended not to add the sideview mirrors so to keep the same shape as seen in the base picture. Here is also a transition animation of before and after: [Source: Jon Sibal ] Here is the original post: Rendering based on the BMW Sports Car leaked photos

A little more than a month from now, we will be seeing the unveiling of the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It’s just very unfortunate for Mercedes-Benz that someone has leaked an entire set of pictures, providing us fans with a very good glimpse of the E-Class Estate version ahead of the show. In case you have forgotten, most if not all current E-Class engine will be available in the Estate version. Which means, the entire set of 4, 6, and 8 cylinder engines. A 204-hp, turbocharged 1.8-liter and a 388-hp 5.5-liter V8 will be available among others. Check out the entire gallery Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. Related Posts 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate images leaked – well not really! We’ve seen many types of leaked images of upcoming models, but this leak might be one of the most … Official next-gen E-Class Coupe images leaked online Mercedes-Benz has some serious issues with models being leaked weeks if not months before they are… 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing photo leaked Mercedes-Benz has been teasing us for months now, not only did they publishing official photos of … The Mercedes C63 AMG Estate Facelifted 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG on German streets See original here:  2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate images leaked

Frankfurt. On September 15, 2009, IAA Frankfurt Motor Show opens its gates to the press. A first for BMW Group: This year, all three brands are presented under one roof – in Hall 11 which today was officially opened by Frankfurt’s Lord Mayor Petra Roth. Europe’s most state-of-the-art exhibition hall can be reached directly from the new main entrance of the Frankfurt exhibition grounds. The highlight of BMW’s 2009 motor show presentation is a circuit of several hundred meters length that encloses the entire exhibition space and on which the BMW EfficientDynamics fleet and the world premieres will be presented. Thomas Muderlak, responsible for BMW Group’s presentation at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show: “Participation in motor shows is an important feature in our communication activities directed at customers, the media and trade visitors. We are delighted that the 2009 IAA gives us the opportunity to build on our tradition of innovative motor show presences and this time to present all three brands under one roof – a first. A highlight for our visitors will be to experience our vehicles in motion: For the BMW brand, our presentation will implement the brand’s motto of ‘Sheer Driving Pleasure’ quite literally.” In 2003, 2005 and 2007, the BMW brand presented itself in a Cubist building on the so-called Agora while MINI and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars were located in different halls. Presenting the three brands so close to each other this year will allow BMW Group to stage various corporate initiatives. As the organizer of the Junior Campus and the host of the ZEIT Conference, BMW Group will seize the opportunity to set the stage for important social issues such as sustainability. Between September 15 and 27, 2009, children between 3 and 13 years can discover the fascination of sustainability and mobility at the Junior Campus. A workshop explains children aged 7 to 13 through play how to handle resources in a responsible manner. A children’s Road Safety School with a driving course located in the outdoor area of the Junior Campus helps children from age 3 to 6 behave responsibly in road traffic. Taking a stand in the socio-political debate on mobility and sustainability, BMW Group’s future summit – the ZEIT Conference – provides a platform...

We decided to stay on the BMW/Formula 1 subject that made the headlines on all the auto publications and not only, around the world. By now many of you might have heard that BMW has decided to retire from the Formula 1 Championship at the end of this season. The reasons are multiple, from the disappointing results this season to financial concerns. BMW will continue to be actively involved in other motor sports series and also to focus their efforts on consumer products and new technologies. Of course, the announcement has shaken quite a bit the F1 world and a natural question has popped up: Who’s next? P.S. Michael Schumacher is back, more on that soon!!!! Autocar UK has goes deeper into further rumors: The news that BMW will quit F1 at the end of the 2009 season will send a chill wind blowing through the five-star corridors of the sport, inevitably calling into question the future plans of both Toyota and Renault in the longer term. The news from Munich was certainly no surprise, coming barely six months since Honda quit the sport and sold their operation to Ross Brawn for a nominal fee. It’s too early to say whether the Sauber F1 operation at Hinwil – the Swiss core of the BMW F1 operation – will be spun off into a private team again in the same way, but the clear signal coming from Munich is that you just can’t rely on the major car manufacturers to have an open-ended commitment to the Grand Prix game. Truth be told, one can see the whole texture and character of F1 changing significantly over the coming years. The fact that Jarno Trulli has been offered a one year extension to his Toyota contract raises inevitable speculation that they will follow rivals Honda out of the sport at the end of 2010. Thankfully, Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix will have taken the sting out of any pressure for Mercedes to re-evaluate its F1 involvement, although their position is more complicated and deep rooted as they are shareholders in the McLaren group. Continued at Autocar UK See the original post here:  BMW’s gone, who’s next?

This is one of the first shots from Audi. Audi is teasing fans before the unveiling likely to be in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show. A 4.2L V8 is expected to be available in the A8 and a detuned V10 engine found in the Lamborghini Gallardo for the Audi S8. It is predicted that the S8 can have over 600hp. If you enjoyed this post, you should subscribe to our RSS feed . Also, you can subscribe by e-mail and get the latest news about cars, auto industry, concept cars, tuning in your inbox. It’s completely free! Subscribe to our Twitter to get the latest news. ShareThis Read more from the original source: New Audi A8 Teaser Picture See the original post here:  New Audi A8 Teaser Picture

If an Alfa Romeo 8C is too far out of your range, you may take consolation with the SV Motor Company’s SV9 Competizione. As the name suggests, this custom-build sports car mimics the Alfa’s appearance, but carries enough different cosmetic features to prevent a lawsuit.  The SV9 is actually based on a Corvette platform, and is re-skinned, adorned with a fresh interior, and tweaked for higher performance.  The upgrades include Pirelli sport tires, four exclusive wheels combination, composite panels inside and out, an upgraded intake, and a tuned V-8 delivering 400 hp.  The SV team is promising a four-second run to sixty and twelve for the quarter-mile. Pricing for the SV9 is set at $100,000. ShareThis                                     Excerpt from: A Hybrid of a Different Sort: The SV9 Competizione Read more: A Hybrid of a Different Sort: The SV9 Competizione

The Bugatti Veyron is, to many, the quintessential supercar: exclusive, incredibly luxurious, and outrageously powerful. But the car has been around for years now, and despite a recent proliferation of special-editions, it remains Bugatti’s only model. A new image leaked to the web today may hint at a change coming to this year’s Frankfurt .. Originally posted here:  Teaser Image Hints At New Bugatti Model

The thought of finding parts for an older vehicle — much less one that’s rare — is enough to put many people off the idea of restoration altogether. But as Jay Leno demonstrates in his latest “Garage” clip, modern technology can come in very handy in these situations. Using a special scanner (cost: around $3,000), Jay creates a 3D image of .. Excerpt from: Jay Leno Uses Digital Tech For Analog Ends