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2012 BMW 5-Series M Diesel 
It’s been rumored for a long time, but until recently, it was all just that: rumors. But now that the covers have been pulled and an announcement is merely imminent, it appears that BMW will soon be releasing a diesel-powered version of the 2012 M5. The full details of the car have not yet been announced, but it’s all formality from here. The high-powered model is expected to carry a 3.0-liter diesel engine that will predictably carry less horsepower than the gasoline version. On the flip side, the torque output is expected to be significantly higher and, as a result, there’s a pretty big chance that the model will only come with all-wheel drive. There are plenty more details about the car that need to be confirmed, and we’ll be on top of them as soon as BMW officially introduces the car. For now, we did our best to paint a clear picture of the M5 Diesel, or whatever name it’s going to have. Find out more about the 5-Series M Diesel after the jump. Full story 2011 BMW 5-Series F10 ’Black Bison’ by Wald International
Japanese tuners like Wald International have never been the type to have any nationalistic bias with their programs. If there’s a car that’s ripe for a project, they don’t hesitate to put their boots on and get to work. That’s no more evident than with the 2011 BMW 5-Series, codenamed ’F10’. Despite being a German brand, Wald International nonetheless prepared a pretty slick restyling program for the sports car, one that includes fresh aerodynamic pieces forged from fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Among the notable upgrades done on the 5-Series are a restyled front bumper with its own set of new air vents and LED daytime lights, a seemingly mandatory addition for just about every high-end tune-up on the market these days. Matching wits on the front end is a rear that sees its own set of fresh additions, including a complementing rear bumper, a new deck-lid, roof spoilers, side skirts, and the Japanese tuning company’s very own exhaust tailpipes. Added elements like a lowered suspension, new side skirts, a limited set of bespoke floor mats, and a set of multi-spoke alloy wheels gives the new 5-Series added cool points, making it one of the most freshly-styled 5-Series’ on the market today. These changes, plus the car’s eight-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo engine with 407 horsepower, makes it worthy enough to sit in any BMW fan’s garage. 2011 BMW 520d EfficientDynamics
BMW has just expanded the 5-Series line-up with the addition of a new model called the 520d EfficientDynamics. This new model sets a new benchmark for efficiency and driving pleasure in its class. On the British market, the 520d will be priced at £30,435 - or about $49,000 at the current exchange rates. The BMW 520d EfficientDynamics is powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine that develops a total of 184 HP and a peak torque of 280 lbs-ft. It has a fuel economy of 62.8 mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 119g/km, but can still get up and go to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds. The engine will be combined with standard Auto Start-Stop, Optimum Gearshift Indicator, Brake Energy Regeneration, and Active Aerodynamics. Another impressive feature is BMW’s new ECO-PRO Mode. A driver-activated switch promotes economical and comfortable driving at low speeds by adjusting the engine mapping, throttle sensitivity, automatic gearshift points, where applicable, and the amount of power consumed by electrical ancillaries including climate control and heated seats. 2011 BMW F10 M-Sport Package by 3D Design
Once upon a time, Japanese tuner 3D Design took the task of giving the current generation BMW F10 5-Series a pretty swell aerodynamic package, one that featured a redesigned front lip, rear diffuser, rear wing, and roof wing. Not one to leave the F10 hanging, 3D Design gave the M-Sport package of the new 5-Series its own aerodynamic upgrades. With the F10 M-Sport featuring a sportier overall profile than its 5-Series counterpart, including a new front and rear bumper, it wasn’t difficult for 3D Design to come out with a body kit that adds more appeal to the beastly sports car, including a two-piece carbon front lip and a rear diffuser that was combined with the M-Sport bumper which comes with its own carbon fiber replacement piece, The price for the front lip costs $1,038 with the additional carbon pieces fetching $687 for the pair. Meanwhile, 3D Design has priced the rear diffuser at $1,400. They are not exactly over-the-top additions to the M Sport package, but who says tuning projects have to be extravagant all of the time? 2013 BMW 5-Series Plug-in Hybrid Sedan Concept
BMW Brilliance Automotive will reveal at the Shanghai Auto Show a premium-segment plug-in hybrid sedan concept based on a long wheelbase version of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, developed exclusively for the Chinese automobile market and produced at the Shenyang site. Production version will begin in China in 2013. The prototype is powered by a parallel hybrid drive set-up that combines a 214 HP combustion engine featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with an electrical motor that adds another 93 HP. The electrical motor takes its power from a special battery technology which includes the possibility of charging from a mains power supply. When running purely on electrical power, it is possible to travel emission-free for up to 46 miles at a constant speed of 37 mph. Use of the combustion engine provides a minimum additional range of 248 miles, which is in line with the driving profile of Chinese customers in the premium segment. BMW New Energy Vehicle headed to the Shanghai Motor Show
China is a very important market among automakers, so you’re going to have to excuse them if they get vehicles built exclusively for their country. Other nations can’t claim to have that importance, but they probably would get it if they were home to arguably the biggest market in the world. One automaker jumping into the China bandwagon is BMW, which presented plans for a China-only New Energy Vehicle at the company’s annual press conference last week. Details on the car are still limited, although from what we took during the press conference, the car is expected to be the 2011 BMW 5-Series New Energy Vehicle. Based on the long-wheelbase version of the 5er, the BMW 5-Series NEV is being rumored to carry the company’s new ActiveHybrid 5 technology, which if true, would fit in nicely with China’s policy of having more fuel-efficient cars on the road. For now, there are no plans of the car being sold in any other country except China so if you were angling to get a piece of this car when it hits production, you’re going to have a tough time scooping one up unless you live there. What you can do, though, is head over to the Shanghai Motor Show, the place where BMW will be officially introducing the car to the Chinese market. *Photo is of the BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid 2011 BMW 5-Series GT by Trussardi
Lamborghini isn’t the only automaker celebrating Italy’s 150th anniversary of its unification, BMW will also be joining in on the fun with a special edition 5-Series GT. This special edition was developed in cooperation with the Fashion House Trussardi and features bespoke styling cues. The BMW 5-Series GT by Trussardi will be a custom order build. The BMW 5-Series GT by Trussardi takes its design inspiration from the world of leather and gloves, which is where the history of Trussardi originated. This inspiration lead to "Heraldic Brown" exterior paint combined with a special Glove Beige interior color with contrasting stitching that produces a ribbed pattern inspired by historical archive Trussardi gloves. The exterior comes with three layers of paint that gradually change color depending on its exposure to light. The brown paint is combined with matte dark gray accents found on the strip of the front air intake, as well as other trim parts. The exterior is completed by 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped around 245/40 and 275/35 tires. The interior of the celebratory 5-Series will feature embossed Trussardi logos on the headrests and the center tunnel. The 5-Series GT by Trussardi is based on the 530d xDrive, but the package will also be available for the 535d, 535i, and 550i models. Pricing for this special edition will be announced at a later date. 2011 World Car of the Year finalists officially announced
The Geneva Motor Show is now in the rear-view mirror, which means that the spotlight has now turned to the New York Auto Show this coming April, and if there’s one thing that we can all look forward to in New York, it’s that it will be the site of the 2011 World Car of the Year awards. All in all, 39 vehicles were included in the initial entry list comprising of new cars from all over the world. From these 39 cars, the list was whittled down to ten finalists with the top three contenders from these 10 cars receiving the final nominations for the 2011 World Car of the Year title. The cars that are subject for nomination are selected and voted on by an international jury panel consisting of 66 automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world. Each member of the panel has been appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the merits of their experience, credibility, and influence within the auto industry in their respective countries and, to an extent, in the region. Eligibility for the World Car award is important in determining which cars can be nominated for the awards. This year, all candidates for the awards must become available for sale on at least two continents from January 1, 2010 to May 30, 2011. Apart from the World Car of the Year title, other awards that will be announced at the New York Auto Show include the World Performance Car of the Year, the World Green Car of the Year, and the World Car Design of the Year. Check out all the nominated cars for each of the categories after the jump. Full story 2011 AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S
AC Schnitzer has already showed up to the Geneva Motor Show with the Z4 99d, but that’s not the only model the German tuning firm is showcasing. Alongside the Z4 99d, AC Schnitzer will also be displaying the ACS5 Sport S, a model based on the BMW 550i. Looking at their creation, no one would be all that impressed; there aren’t many changes done to the exterior leading people to believe it was just another minor and unimpressive upgrade for yet another BMW model. Then there are those other people that would expect a fantastically upgraded engine to counteract the anticlimactic exterior. The second group of people would be correct in their assumptions. The ACS5 Sport S takes the standard 4.4L V8 engine found in the BMW 550i and has toyed with it enough to bump the standard 400hp to a phenomenal 540 hp and 750 Nm of torque. With the extra 140 HP, the ACS5 Sport S will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 200mph. Flying through the corners will also be made easy with an added limited slip differential. Hit the jump to read more about the AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S. Full story 2011 BMW Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo Touring
Back in July of last year, we were introduced to the BMW Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Well, now it looks like the Geneva Motor Show is going to be the stage for the touring version of the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo to make its debut. Not a lot of information was bared on what kind of aerodynamic changes the station wagon is going to come with, but we do know that it will offer the same powertrain as that of the sedan version, which will be a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 507 horsepower and 516 lb/ft of torque and mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The only difference - albeit a pretty small one - is that the sedan version posts a slightly faster 0-60 mph time - 4.7 seconds to 4.8 - compared to the touring version of the B5 Bi-Turbo. Likewise, the sedan version peaks at a slightly higher top speed of 191 mph compared to touring version’s 187 mph top speed. The good thing is that the Geneva Motor Show will open its doors in less than a week so whatever curiosities we may have of this car we’ll be answered sooner than later. | Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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