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Cafe racer motorbikes storm Japan

Japan may be best known, at least among motorcycle enthusiasts, for its sport bikes. But as we found at the Tokyo Motor Show this year, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are capable of producing all kinds of motorbikes. And to our delight, that includes cafe racers.
Along with the myriad electric bikes, dirt bikes, crotch rockets and scooters, the halls of Tokyo's Big Site convention center this year were full of the retro-infused rides we love. Chief among them was the Bolt (shown above) which Yamaha exhibited alongside their various electric two-wheelers, sporting a delicious metallic blue paintjob, inverted handlebars and hanging mirrors, machined metal bits, blacked-out trim and saddle brown leatherwork.
Honda was also on hand with a new EX version of its '70s-style CB1100 retro roadster in sinister and low-key matte black. And this was our first chance to check out BMW Motorrad's new birthday present to its 90-year-old self, the R NineT, a model recently unveiled at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. But one of the most amusing retro rides we came across was the Honda Monkey Limited, a mini bike that makes the new 125cc Grom (which was displayed alongside it) look positively gigantic.

2016 BMW M3 gains new colors, LED taillights

The BMW 3 Series gets a few new models and some significant mechanical tweaks for its recently announced 2016 refresh. At the same time, the Bavarian brand is taking the opportunity to make some much more minor adjustments to the M3, too. BMW didn't mention the M3's changes in its announcement of the 3 Series refresh, but company spokesperson Hector Arellano-Belloc explained the updates to Autoblog. On the outside, the sport sedan now comes with full LED taillights, and the exterior is available with new colors from BMW Individual: Smoked Topaz Metallic and Champagne Quartz Metallic. The shades join Tanzanite Blue Metallic and Azurite Black Metallic from the brand's bespoke division. Under the hood, everything is the same with a twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-six engine making 425 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Inside, the M3 gains the improved navigation system from the 3 Series that features over-the-air map upgrades. There's more chrome trim around the interior, as well. "Given how new it is, the changes to the M3 are minimal," said Arellano-Belloc to Autoblog. However, the tweaks show that BMW is trying to keep the performance sedan at the top of its game.

A BMW i3 will cost you $100,000 in Brazil

Brazil is a long way from the US, and the price of the BMW i3 in that South American country is even further away from what Americans pay for the same electric vehicle. But that hasn't stopped a few wealthy Brazilians from taking the plunge. The BMW i3 REx – i.e., the one with the gas-powered range-extender – is the first mass-produced vehicle of its kind to be imported to Brazil (there are a few Nissan Leaf vehicles in fleet use), and those intrepid buyers are forking over about $100,000 to own the vehicle, according to Just-Auto. The country's first 100 i3's were recently received in Sao Paolo, and about 30 of them have been sold. That pricetag is a wee bit higher than in the US, where the i3 starts under $42,000. BMW did open a $261-million factory in Brazil this year, but the i3 continues to be produced exclusively in Germany. It's not just fancy new plug-in cars and World Cup tickets that cost a lot in Brazil. The Volkswagen Golf, which retails for less than $18,000 in the States, costs about $23,000 in Brazil and the Economist ran a series of articles last year explaining how currency changes have resulted in the dollar-to-Brazilian real exchange rate surging in recent years.