The Shuanghuan CEO has been put on official notice.

The uproar started at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year when Hebei, the Beijing-based parent company of Shuanghuan, introduced their new SUV, the CEO, to the public. The Shuanghuan, a 4-wheel drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon, features a 5-speed manual transmission, and a DOHC 16-valve, 4-cylinder in-line engine.

Oh yeah, and approximately 120-horsepower.

According to some sources BMW will unveil an electric car by 2012. BMW will push a rear engined small coupe because of regulatory changes that are being lead by the State of California. Because of the nature of the regulatory changes I’m assuming these cars will become very popular in many big cities and urban centers with the under 40 crowd.

BMW is poised to give the go-ahead to a tiny Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) that will help to revolutionise city-centre driving. The rear-engined city car could be called Isetta and will first arrive in American showrooms in 2012.

The project was created because of new Californian regulations (soon to be copied by 12 other US states) which require big car makers to sell between a few hundred and a few thousand ZEVs every year from 2012.

However, global sales of the new model are also likely, because BMW has decided that the concept will be ideal for sale in cities all around the world. Indeed, many European cities have already established low-emissions zones.

Source:Dikarockz

BMW M1 concept, a stunning, modern take on BMW’s original supercar has been officially unveiled. The BMW M1 is a concept of what BMW would create in homage to the original BMW M1. Now I just wish BMW would just create one of these already so I could take it for a test drive.

In celebration of 30 years BMW bestowed upon the M1 and the many fans who adore it a gift in orange and alloy. What you are looking at above is not a mere rendition of what a redesign of the M1 would look like, as animated as it appears to be. It is a physical reality that may be more study than reality, but truly does capture the spirit that drove the two preceding designs.

The new M1 concept car was received by those attending the Concorso d’Eleganza at Vista d’Este this weekend, where you will see in the photos of the gallery that it was joined by its 2 brothers. While what we see here may be just a concept it does reinforce the knowledge there are still people around today who can produce superlative designs such as this. To anyone’s knowledge thus far the 30 year anniversary M1 concept is merely a shell as no hint of a motive source or interior contents were exposed as its single outing.

Rekindling the knife’s-edge sharpness of the two prior designs tip of the hood the new M1 begins just as all others, with the two kidney shaped grill bookended by sinister headlamps. The contours of the body reflect well on the Giugiaro-designed M1 that followed up on the original M1 designed by Paul Bracq. The tribute follows suit from front to rear concluding with the louvered rear window and the dual BMW badging over-top of the rear break lamps.

Take a look at the gallery after the leap and join BMW in celebrating 30 years of M1 design.

BMW and Mercedes are deadlocked in discussions about joining forces to improve automotive technology in Europe according to Motor Authority.

Arch-rivals BMW and Daimler are still locked in talks with latest discussions surrounding topics on component sharing and joint-research of new powertrain technologies. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has confirmed the two carmakers are in fact discussing the potential for component sharing, alluding to the fact new emissions laws are forcing manufacturers to develop expensive new technologies to help reduce emissions and fuel consumption levels.

Ironically this is like McDonald’s and Burger King joining forces to develop a better burger.

After much hype and great patience by some diesel cars and SUV’s are starting to creep into the US market. The BMW Efficient Dynamics diesel fleet of two (the 335d sedan and X5 XDrive35d) is preparing for its American release later this year, but ahead of their dealership debut and post their Detroit Auto Show unveiling BMW took the 335d for a drive. Taking to the streets and highways between San Francisco and Los Angeles BMW puts the wheel into the hands of some willing test subjects.

The new diesels are designed to run cleaner, faster and yet still with the fuel efficiency that those lovers of diesel prefer. The BMW 335d is expected to have fuel ratings of 25 city and 33 highway, while the X5 XDrive35d Crossover will have 19 city and 25 highway. Both vehicles are powered by the 3.0 liter 6-cylinder BMW diesel pumping out 265-hp and 425-ft lbs. of torque. Drivers from the following video were quick to point out the cars punch of torque at take-off.
Check out the video on the following page to see for yourself.

In an article just the other day we briefly discussed Pontiac’s wish to challenge BMW’s grip as what some believe to be the top sedan builder on the market. Well now they are making the fight personal with their latest commercial: Pontiac G8 GT vs BMW 550i. The first mention of such a comparison came in an Automobile Magazine article that pitted the cars against one another and actually reported favorably on the Pontiac G8 GT.

Both brands have been around long enough for drivers to build up a personal reflex to the mere image of the two auto makers grill. One instills a sense of breeding and sophistication, along with a sense for many of “I can’t afford that.” The other references to a long gone age of Excitement and a recent age of plastic interiors and average looks, or more poignantly a sense of “I’m not buying that!”

Pontiac’s new G8 GT, based off the Holden Commodore and rousing 361-hp, is GM’s attempt at a return of some of that Excitement and a reaching out for a new sense of class in cockpit styling. While it is going to take a lot of years to reverse the conditioned response of many car buyers to the Pontiac grill, the G8 GT is at least making an aggressive stab at it.

But do not rely solely on our estimation here… Check out the Pontiac commercial to follow the leap and see if they can convince you. If nothing else, enjoy the laugh as American advertisers are still able to achieve what American auto designers struggle at: Catching our Attention.

The BMW 1-Series has been admired, mulled over and coveted for so long now that its final arrival onto U.S. soil has almost gone unheralded. Some advertising has made its way onto American TV, magazines and internet, but has the hype overshadowed the entrance? And is the car we had hoped to find the same as the car we have finally received?

Coming onto the local BMW dealership it was interesting to find the new 128i Coupe in its BMW Red Metallic finished buddied up to a 2008 328i Coupe. This positioning (by convenience, by chance or by intention… What do you think?) made easy an eye-ball comparison of the two coupes with their matching powertrains.
It was interesting to see how much bulkier the 128i actually is when seated next to the 328i. Further inspection reveals the 128i to be a bit narrower, noticeably taller and only a slight bit shorter than its 3-Series counterpart; which may explain their performance similarities. The fatter snout and bonnet of the 1-Series makes for a bold, if not chunky, comparison to the sleek and sexy leanness of the 328i, and yet still the two models share more than enough design cues that lay evidence to their similar gene pools.
…Read on for more details and a large Gallery of photos…

BMW marketing is ushering in the arrival of the 1-Series to the America’s and that should make a lot of people very happy. The 135i is one of the most highly anticipated car introductions of 2008 and is sure to spend very limited time on any dealers lot. For those curious and eager buyers looking to get their hands on one ahead of the pack so far there is only a 1-Series BMW Manual for sale on ebay, but it will not be long before someone will be looking to cash in on a premium and high demand for the car.

If you are looking to make an early splash in the 1-Series market then you may want to contact your local BMW dealership. Odds are there may already be a pre-order or 2 ahead of you.

The marketing campaign begun by BMW is that the 1-Series, and in-particular the 135i, will bring color to an all pale-white world. With 300 horses under the hood the appearance of color must be from all the blood rushing to your head, but that is just my own speculation.

Follow the link to the next page to catch a glimpse of the new BMW 1-Series commercial. Might as well get used to it now, because you are likely to be seeing a lot of it.

It seems impossible to fathom that I am the only perpetual car shopper who is always looking for that next fun auto. While there may be many who do not consider themselves perpetual car shoppers many may believe themselves to be car aficionados or appreciators of fine autos. For those of you who, like myself, have put off the purchase of that next fun ride, as well as for those of you who appreciate the promise of the next cool auto, I have compile MY list of the Most Lustable New Cars for 2008. If you have put off buying that new car for a while these are the cars that I feel will make all the waiting worth the while. Some of these cars are still coming from their concept stage and have yet to be road tested by people outside of the manufacturers engineers, so for some their ranking is based on the Promise of what the car will be.