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BMW brings burlesque, Warhol, M1 and 6 Series Grand Coupe to Paris Photo LA

BMW has worked with Paris Photo for ten years. This year, the photography exposition lands in Paramount Studios in Los Angeles for the first time, and BMW is not only coming with it, the Bavarians are bringing the Art Car that started it all: the 1979 M1 painted by Andy Warhol. For those attending the show, there will also be making-of video of Warhol working on the car - but if you remember the mini lecture that EVO magazine's Henry Catchpole gave on the Art Cars, you'll remember that Warhol finished the car so quickly that the cameraman barely had time to get the film rolling.
With that will also be a series of photos of the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe dropped into noir scenes accompanied by burlesque models, all taken by photographer Uwe Düttmann. It's the first time they'll be exhibited at Paris Photo. You can check out a few of them in the high-res gallery above, and there's a press release below with more info.

BMW 328d confirmed for New York debut

Late last year, some of BMW's future diesel plans for the US market were leaked, and we learned that a diesel-powered version of the 3 Series sedan (pictured above in 335i guise) would be coming in the first quarter of 2013. That report appears to be holding true, as BMW has just confirmed the debut of the oil-burning 328d sedan as part of the company's New York Auto Show plans.
The 328d will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine good for 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The rear-wheel-drive sedan will hit 60 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds and fuel economy numbers could "well exceed" 40 miles per gallon. (Official EPA numbers will be released closer to the car's launch.)
Elsewhere on BMW's New York stand, the company will show off the 3 Series Gran Turismo that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, as well as the Concept Active Tourer that we first saw in Paris last fall. Scroll down for the official press blast.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.