2009 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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BMW M3 and M4 will rock 430 hp from twin-turbo six with standard manual [w/video]

We're not sure which spec we're most intrigued by for the new BMW M3 and M4: the twin-turbo six-cylinder with 430 horsepower and "far beyond" 369 pound-feet of torque, the 3,300-pound curb weight or the standard six-speed manual transmission with automatic throttle blipping on downshifts. That engine is fitted with both Valvetronic and Double-Vanos, twin-wire arc-spray coating in the cylinders instead of liners to save weight, a track-ready cooling system with additional radiators, a forged crankshaft, dry-sump lubrication and a magnesium oil sump. BMW says its "high revving concept" has a redline beyond 7,500 rpm.
In the M4, it will be pulling a coupe with "a weight of just under 1,500 kilograms," which is 3,300 pounds to you and me. That number is said to include no driver and 90 percent fuel, but we're still waiting on the exact number and specs. BMW says it's "around 80 kilograms lighter than a comparably equipped predecessor model," putting the power-to-weight ratio at something like 7.68 pounds per horsepower at the same time as it helps reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent. The use of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) for the roof, drive shaft (with no center bearing), trunk and front strut brace, and forged aluminum for suspension components, have aided in the weight loss. This time around, the sedan - the M3 - will also get a CFRP roof.
The default option will be a six-speed manual.

BMW i3 starts near $35,000; NA first deliveries January 2014

While in Germany at the first early pre-production drives of the hotly anticipated BMW i3, BMW people finally hinted at a price ballpark. Numbers being tossed around by pundits have actually been pretty close to what BMW is discussing internally - between $35,000 and just over $40,000. We have been assured now that the base price, should one choose to buy and not lease in the Euro zone, is just over 35,000 euro, with some big taxes included in that price. In the US, the starting price for the fully EV plug-in version should be $34,500 or right thereabouts. In addition to new pricing, we've also gotten our best-yet look at the i3, with the freshly uncovered spy shots you see here.
European deliveries begin in November of this year for the fully electric version of the rear-wheel-drive i3 with 168-horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The e-motor mounted over the rear axle is supplied with energy by the 22-kWh lithium-ion battery pallet under the passenger compartment. Recharging happens in any of three ways: public or personal garage plug-in charge station (garage version not included in the price), the onboard system's Pro Eco mode that adds resistance to the drivetrain in a type of rolling brake energy recuperation, or through the normal brake energy and off-throttle coasting regeneration more common to EVs. Range on a full charge of this drivetrain is said to be upwards of 100 miles under hyper-miling conditions.
Perhaps the best bit of news is that the alternative, range-extending, two-cylinder 600cc engine supplied by BMW Motorrad for the hybrid version of the i3 - mounted in the rear together with the e-motor - will add only 2,000 euros in Europe and about $2,000 in the US. This is a range-doubling solution that could have brought a much higher price gouge, so thank you, BMW. The hybrid e-drive i3 version arrives a couple months after the full-EV launch version. Remember that, unlike the very similar system for the Chevrolet Volt, the system in the i3 supplies no mechanical torque to the driven axle and is only used as a generator (a system BMW first used last year in the 1 Series-based Active ). The US is seen as the clear number one market for the i3.

BMW unleases new M4 as MotoGP safety car

BMW has some considerable racing prowess to crow about, and draws on those credentials to create models like the new M4. But it's not about to rest on the laurels it's won at the end of innumerable races past and present. Mere months after the release of its latest performance coupe, BMW has already revealed a new M4 touring car for the DTM series, and has now unveiled its new M4 safety car for the MotoGP motorcycle championship.
Revealed on the BMW M Facebook page and set to debut at the front of the grid at the season opener in Qatar a couple weeks from now, the new M4 safety car is just the latest in a long string of official vehicles it has provided to the MotoGP series. Previous examples have included everything from the 1M Coupe to the M6 and the X6 M.
Like its predecessors, the M4 safety car features emergency lighting, special equipment and of course BMW's trademark white livery with red, navy and light blue stripes that, in this arrangement, give the new Williams Martini Racing livery a run for its money. Logos promote the BMW M Performance Parts you can buy to bring your own Bimmer up to spec, which on this car isn't likely have changed much from stock.