Blitz R60/2 – The great Escape from Hush on Vimeo.

Since we’re on a bit of a motorcycle tear today, we might as well keep the combo going with footage of some vintage Bavarian machinery in the snow. Titled the “Great Escape,” this clip just shows a trip on an old R60 during the deep winter months. Who says you can’t ride in the snow?

Today’s afternoon car break comes a little early with a track battle between the new BMW M5 and the heavily revised BMWSRR1000.

Bimmerpost.com has released a video of a camouflaged 2014 BMW M3 driving around. The most peculiar part is that it sounds like there is a V6, not an inline 6, under the hood. Normally, this would be blasphemy, and large mobs would form, pitchforks in hand. But after the introduction of turbos, M SUVs, and general weight gain, can anyone really be surprised that “M” may abandon its remaining calling card?

Source: Bimmerpost

With the new BMW 1 Series hatch already released, everyone is waiting to see what the coupe will look like. This is important for us since the U.S. only gets the coupe version of the 1.

The 1 series was always the BMW meant for people yearning for smaller bimmers of old, but its styling was a serious drawback. This new on appears much improved with sleeker lines and less of the potbelly look that the old one had. However, these are just Auto Express’s renderings and not the real deal.

The new 1 series will be powered by BMW’s new turbo 4, which will replace their iconic inline 6 in the base models. Six cylinders will still be available in the higher spec models, but will be turbocharged. If you want more power, there will probably be a new generation of the 1M.

The name of the car might change as well. Auto Express guesses it will be called the 2 to differentiate the model from its hatch siblings. They back this up with rumors that the entire BMW lineup may receive a naming shakeup. Solid details are not yet known though.

With the 3 and 5 series getting more expensive and larger, the new 1 series looks to be the BMW to get. The coupe should be launched for the 2013 model year, so more concrete details should be coming out soon.

Source: Auto Express

The economy is nosediving, there are no jobs, London is burning, and all the hot air in Washington caused a heatwave. But, at least we can all go for a drive and forget about those problems for a bit.

So, sit down, slow down, and enjoy the simple pleasures of any old car, like this BMW 2002. Looking on the bright side of life is a whole lot easier when you have a convertible.

BMW AG will unveil a roadster concept at the Geneva auto show next month that combines a futuristic design with infotainment innovations.

BMW said the concept called VisionConnectedDrive has features that show how intelligent networking will enhance people’s driving experience in the future.

The concept has a head-up display that places a 3-D display of key information in the direct sight line of the driver, eliminating the need for the driver’s eyes to refocus. “The display allows the real view to be overlaid with virtual information, highlighting hazards allowing the driver to assimilate all of the information quickly and take appropriate action,” BMW said in a statement on Thursday.

Read full article.

BMW comes in with a rebounding $424 Million profit for the 1st quarter. Another sign that the auto market is in a steady uplift from the last 2 years as BMW sees 2010 earnings dynamically increases over the course of the year. One of the biggest stories for BMW was that China sales doubles in the quarter as the beat goes on in China.

From Detroit News.com:

German luxury automaker BMW AG reported a $424 million first-quarter profit on Wednesday, reflecting a recovery in demand for premium cars from last year’s deep slump.

BMW said it expected the launch of its key 5 Series sedan during the second quarter to help it gain further momentum.

“We expect that earnings will grow dynamically over the course of the year,” said Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer.

“We intend to remain the world’s leading provider of premium cars in 2010,” he said in a statement. The Munich-based company sells premium cars under the BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini brands.

Read the full article here.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.dashboardnews.com/2010/05/07/bmw-rebounding-posts-424m-profit/feed/ 0 http://www.dashboardnews.com/2010/04/20/vorsteiner-gtrs3-widebody-m3-unveiled/ http://www.dashboardnews.com/2010/04/20/vorsteiner-gtrs3-widebody-m3-unveiled/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:55:29 +0000 Staff http://www.dashboardnews.com/?p=871

Bold, Fresh, Cocky or BadAss, they all fit this one here! The Vorsteiner wide body GTRS3 M3 is all that and a bag of chips!

The carbon fiber experts at Vorsteiner have out-done themselves, with their latest creation the widebody GTRS3 M3. Designed for the E92 M3, the kit includes a new carbon fiber bumper with a removable splitter, as well as carbon fiber front and rear fenders, side skirts and a new carbon rear bumper with a racing-style diffuser. A carbon fiber hood is also available, as is a carbon trunk and a stainless steel exhaust system.

Read the full article here.

This is not a misprint. Hyundai to bring luxury vehicle to challenge BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. That’s right, the Hyundai Equus is on it’s way to the U.S. with all of the goodies inside and out to take on the big boys. Will the Equus be a hit in the mid 50k range? We’ll know soon enough.

From AutoGuide.com:

It certainly looks like a flagship luxury sedan, created to rival established German saloons like the 7 Series and S Class, but it costs roughly half the price and… it’s a Hyundai? Yes, debuting at the New York Auto Show, Hyundai will now offer its flagship luxury sedan from Korea in the U.S. aiming to, “compete with the best luxury sedans in the world on all levels.”

Pricing for the Equus has yet to be locked-down, but Hyundai says it expects to be able to sell the car in the mid $50,000 range. And while the Equus isn’t likely to win over many buyers from Mercedes, the package is an attractive one for Lexus LS shoppers, with the LS460 riced in the mid $60,000 range.

The Equus more than just looks like a proper luxury barge, using a powerful V8 engine and riding on a proper rear-drive architecture (an elongated version of that used for the Genesis Sedan). The Equus is actually 7.2-inches longer than the Genesis at 203.1-inches. That makes it longer than the extended wheelbase Lexus LS, plus it’s wider than either the S-Class or 7 Series.

Read the full article here.

Economy got you down? Things aren’t so bad for BMW and VW as they show that there are still plenty of profits in the luxury segment. These two companies are very different but are both known to print money with higher end saloons.

From the New York Times:

FRANKFURT — The market for luxury cars is recovering, but makers of the lower-priced cars that most people drive could struggle with meager profits for years to come. That was the message to be drawn from earnings reports released by Bayerische Motoren Werke and Volkswagen on Thursday.

BMW said that its car division returned to profit in the fourth quarter of 2009, as sales stabilized in established markets and grew in emerging countries like China and Brazil. Soaring demand for higher-priced models like the top-of-line 7 Series contributed to the gains.

For the full year, net profit at BMW beat expectations, falling 36 percent to €210 million, or $286 million. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had on average forecast a profit of €174 million. Sales fell 4.7 percent to €50.7 billion.

Read the full article here.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
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