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BMW considering building 3 Series in North America

There might be even more BMWs coming from North America soon. The company recently announced plans to build a flagship crossover called the X7 at its Spartanburg, SC, factory. Now, rumors are emerging that the Bavarians might be thinking about building a second North American factory that could build its quick-selling 3 Series.
According to Bloomberg, the German luxury giant is considering several possible locations for a North American factory, including two in Mexico, that may build the 3. "We will decide this in the next months. On the North American continent, there's still potential," said BMW production boss, Harald Krueger, in an interview meant for company staff obtained by Bloomberg.
If BMW decides to open a plant in Mexico, it would be following its rival Audi, which already announced construction of a factory there. Mercedes-Benz has been rumored to be working on a deal with Nissan to build its cars South of the Border as well. Rumors of Bimmer considering Mexican production have also cropped up in the past, so it wouldn't come as a total surprise to hear it made official.

Audi A7 getting nip and tuck

It's been less than two years since the Audi A7 first went on sale in the US, but European buyers have been able to enjoy the sleek and stylish hatchback for twice as long. As such, Audi is preparing to give its A7 a mild refresh with tweaked exterior styling, but we're also expecting some of the features found in the all-new 2015 Audi A8 to possibly trickle down to the A7.
From what we can tell in these spy shots, the A7 is getting a minor facelift that includes a restyled front fascia and new headlights, which will likely boast Audi's new Matrix LED system. At the rear of the car, similar changes have been made with a fascia that now gets integrated outlets and different taillights that have a Lamborghini-like display.
Not apparent in these images - but still a good bet for production - we'd expect to see the new A7 get some of Audi's updated engines or new driver assist technologies. No definite word as to when we'll be seeing the refreshed A7 in person, but considering how close to production ready as this car seems to be, our bet is on the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

For Audi, Quattro name means something for hydrogen cars, too

Forget Dueling Banjos. Audi is proposing "Dueling Motors" for its Audi A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro concept vehicle. All in the name of appropriate pickup, of course. The German automaker, which showed off the concept sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show last month, is pairing a plug-in electric motor with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Each motor powers two wheels, maintaining the Quattro's all-wheel-drive pedigree. The car's 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery can drive the car as far as 31 miles on battery-power alone. After that, the water-vapor-spewing fuel-cell engine kicks in. Audi executive Ulrich Hackenberg told Automotive News Europe that the unusual set-up is necessary because the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain alone would only power two wheels while providing an insufficient 136 horsepower. Not exactly sport-sedan material, especially for a car that weighs about 4,300 pounds, even if it is a zero-emission ride. Combined, the two engines give the sedan 231 horsepower as well as a combined single-charge/full-tank range of almost 350 miles. What it all means is that the A7 can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than eight seconds and has a top speed of about 112 miles per hour, and can still dash through the snow.