VIDEO: Chris Harris Drives the BMW 1-Series M Coupe

Yesterday, Evo magazine released a video in which Chris Harris goes to Munich to find out if the BMW 1-Series M Coupe is a proper M car. His conclusions will bring joy to BMW fans, as Mr. Harris thinks that everything from the engine character to steering and damping "feels like a really good package".

"This is going to be the car that everyone wants" he says, although that largely depends on the price point. Let's just hope the Germans won't get greedy. In any case, Harris' input is a very valuable one and it seems that BMW's engineers are on a good path with the upcoming 1-Series M Coupe.

The newest M family member will arrive in showrooms in the first half of 2011 and it will be smallest Bavarian car ever to wear the coveted M-Technik badge.

By Csaba Daradics

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BMW Confirms Hybrid Variants of Next 3-Series and New FWD Subcompact

In a conference call earlier today regarding the company's interim report for the period ended 30 September 2010, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG confirmed plans to offer the next generation of the 3-Series as well as the firm's upcoming front-wheel drive subcompact with hybrid powerplants.

"We will continue to update our model range," said Reithofer. "This includes other hybrid offerings such as the new BMW 5 Series Sedan with hybrid drive starting in 2011. The next generation of the BMW 3 Series will also include hybrid models."

The F30 3-Series, pictured here testing in prototype form, is expected to enter the market in 2012 first as a four-door sedan, with the Touring, Coupe and Convertible models to follow shortly after.

The Bavarian firm's next model will be an entry-level, front-wheel drive model in the supermini-segment. It will sit under the current 1-Series in BMW's lineup, meaning the latter could be renamed as the 2-Series.

"In the future, we intend to participate even more in the growth of the small car segment," said Reithofer. "This is why we are also planning to offer smaller BMW models – positioned below the BMW 3 Series – with front-wheel drive. These models with front-wheel drive will also be made available to our customers with a hybrid engine."

BMW plans to cooperate with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group for the development of the FWD Hybrid model's drivetrain components.

"Our cooperation is focused on developing and producing components for hybrid front-wheel drives. Additional economies of scale will be achieved by pooling certain purchasing activities. I am talking specifically about e-drives, generators, and power electronics that control the interaction between a battery and electric drive," Reithofer added.

The entry-level FWD series could make its market debut as early as 2012.

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BMW Recalling 151,000 Vehicles in the U.S. to Repair Fuel Pumps

BMW's North American division has issued two separate voluntary recalls of some 151,000 vehicles sold in the USA to fix fuel-pump defects that may reduce engine performance and in some models, even a loss of power assist for the steering and brakes.

The first recall concerns certain model year BMWs equipped with twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engines, including the MY2007-2010MY 335i, MY2008–2010 135i, 535i and X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupes, and MY2009 – 2010 Z4 Roadster sDrive35i. The Bavarian company said approximately 130,000 vehicles are potentially affected from this recall with about 40,000 expected to require a new high pressure fuel pump.

"Symptoms include long-crank engine starting times along with the illumination of the "Service Engine Soon" light. In certain cases, the driver may experience reduced engine performance in a Safe Mode accompanied by a tone and the illumination of the "Engine Malfunction" light," BMW said in a statement.

According to the company, the recall will entail replacement of the high-pressure fuel pump and/or a software update.

The second recall from BMW affects a total of 20,800 MY 2008 X5 Sports Activity Vehicles equipped with normally-aspirated inline six-cylinder engines to replace the low-pressure fuel pump.

BMW said that in this case, if the fuel-pump experiences a failure, "the engine will stop running and the driver will lose power assist for the steering and brakes although both the steering and the brakes remain operational."

For more information on the recall, owners of the affected models can contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-563-4269 or email CustomerRelations [at] bmwusa.com.

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Tuning: BMW 135i Coupe GTS-Wannabe

The 450-horsepower limited production BMW M3 GTS was the inspiration for this customized 135i Coupe that was created by Ontario-based dealer, Parkview BMW. The hotted up small coupe is finished in the same Fire Orange paintwork as its bigger brother and features a full set BMW Performance Parts including the aerodynamic kit, carbon fiber diffuser, mirror caps, spoilers and rooftop (we're assuming it's a foil wrap), and black alloy wheels shod in wider tires.

The car's interior has also been enhanced with numerous parts such as an Alcantara sports steering wheel, carbon fiber trim, M gear knob and aluminum pedals. It remains unknown if the dealer made any performance upgrades. Check out the pictures below and tell us what you think.

Via: 1addicts

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BMW Sends Draped 1 Series M Coupe for a Photo Shoot in Paris

Welcome to another round of insignificant teaser pictures of BMW's upcoming 1 Series M Coupe. This time, the Bavarians took a pre-production version of the high-performance compact coupe over to the Arc de Triomphe, just off the Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris, for a quick photo shoot. Once again, the car was fully wrapped so nothing really new to see here. And before you ask, we don't know anything about the man or the young woman posing with the car.

BMW hasn't really given out any specific details about the car, but we do know it will be powered by a turbocharged straight six producing somewhere around 350-ponies with the Germans also hinting that it's meant to be a spiritual successor to the original E30 M3 of the late 1980s / early 1990s.

The newest member of BMW's 'M' model family is scheduled to be launched into the market sometime next year.

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