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BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo gets leaked well ahead of Geneva reveal

The great power of the internet has allowed us to get an early first look at the all-new BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo, a car that is slated to be shown in full at the Geneva Motor Show next month, albeit without many details to go on right now. With pictures leaking out this early in the game, we'd expect that you won't have to wait until March to get the full lowdown, however.
Our first look at the 3er GT reveals a car that is, to our eyes, a tidier piece of design work than its 5 Series GT brother. The long-backside proportions are still a bit ungainly, at least from these images, but they're helped tremendously with the larger wheel/tire package and more aggressive fascia of the sport package.
Expect the 3 Series GT to hit the ground running, with the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 3.0-liter inline-six found in the standard 3 Series sedan. BMW's popular xDrive all-wheel-drive system is a virtual lock for the option sheet, too.

Wagons make a bit of a comeback, with new models, sales on the rise

Consider this an official invitation to hop on the wagon bandwagon. There's still tons of room because, well, it's a wagon (and market share is still extremely small). But according to new data, the segment is growing. According to a report from Bloomberg, using data from Edmunds.com, roughly 211,600 Americans purchased wagons in 2018. That is technically down from the 237,600 sold in 2017, but wagon sales in the U.S. are up 29 percent from where they were five years ago. It's also the third year in a row that wagon sales broke the 200,000 mark. The sales trends have been somewhat representative of the availability of wagons. New models have debuted during the past 5 years and therefore offer more opportunity at more brands to buy wagons. In addition to more modest cars such as the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, several luxury and performance brands are offering wagons today, such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar, Volvo and Buick. (Bloomberg's headlines make the point that "crossovers are for the Kardashians," and wagons are just, well, classier.) This uptick in brand-name availability, as well as extremely well-executed design on most of the wagons currently available, has helped increase the segment's desirability. That, and its ability to better accomplish the same tasks at hand while standing out from the crossover and SUV crowd. Still, the posted numbers represent a small fraction of the total vehicles sold. According to the data, wagons only held a 1.4 percent market share in 2017, the segment's best recent year. Wagons hold a steadfast place in America's past, and they're writing an interesting new story. With the downturn in traditional cars, they may continue to create an unexpected narrative. Related Video: News Source: Bloomberg, Edmunds Audi BMW Buick Volkswagen Volvo Wagon station wagon

BMW X1 spied in the snow, on the 'Ring

The next-generation BMW X1 is moving ever closer to production, and it reportedly launches in Europe in June. With just a few months left of development, the Bavarian brand is making sure to get in as much work in as possible – as the shots above show. According to our spies, all of these pictures were taken on the same day, but BMW was running two simultaneous evaluations of the crossover in Europe. At the sunny Nurburgring, the company was doing high-speed tests on the famous track. Meanwhile in chilly Sweden, cold-weather analysis was happening. Regardless of the location, these are some of the least camouflaged X1s photographed yet. Based on the shots, it appears that BMW is evolving the compact CUV's design rather than overhauling it, but there are a few dashes of styling from the 2 Series Gran Tourer in the grille and headlights, as well. The 'Ring shots also clearly show off a panoramic sunroof. While these examples wear a lot of obfuscation at the back, it's easy to make out BMW's LED taillights. The X1 shares its UKL platform with the Gran Tourer and the latest Minis, but possibly offers all-wheel drive. It's reportedly going to be offered with a similar range of turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines, as well. Related Video: Featured Gallery BMW X1 Spy Shots View 17 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos BMW Crossover Luxury bmw x1 ring