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The UK votes for Brexit and it will impact automakers

It's the first morning after the United Kingdom voted for what's become known as Brexit – that is, to leave the European Union and its tariff-free internal market. Now begins a two-year process in which the UK will have to negotiate with the rest of the EU trading bloc, which is its largest export market, about many things. One of them may be tariffs, and that could severely impact any automaker that builds cars in the UK. This doesn't just mean companies that you think of as British, like Mini and Jaguar. Both of those automakers are owned by foreign companies, incidentally. Mini and Rolls-Royce are owned by BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata Motors of India, and Bentley by the VW Group. Many other automakers produce cars in the UK for sale within that country and also export to the EU. Tariffs could damage the profits of each of these companies, and perhaps cause them to shift manufacturing out of the UK, significantly damaging the country's resurgent manufacturing industry. Autonews Europe dug up some interesting numbers on that last point. Nissan, the country's second-largest auto producer, builds 475k or so cars in the UK but the vast majority are sent abroad. Toyota built 190k cars last year in Britain, of which 75 percent went to the EU and just 10 percent were sold in the country. Investors are skittish at the news. The value of the pound sterling has plummeted by 8 percent as of this writing, at one point yesterday reaching levels not seen since 1985. Shares at Tata Motors, which counts Jaguar and Land Rover as bright jewels in its portfolio, were off by nearly 12 percent according to Autonews Europe. So what happens next? No one's terribly sure, although the feeling seems to be that the jilted EU will impost tariffs of up to 10 percent on UK exports. It's likely that the UK will reciprocate, and thus it'll be more expensive to buy a European-made car in the UK. Both situations will likely negatively affect the country, as both production of new cars and sales to UK consumers will both fall. Evercore Automotive Research figures the combined damage will be roughly $9b in lost profits to automakers, and an as-of-yet unquantified impact on auto production jobs. Perhaps the EU's leaders in Brussels will be in a better mood in two years, and the process won't devolve into a trade war. In the immediate wake of the Brexit vote, though, the mood is grim, the EU leadership is angry, and investors are spooked.

2015 BMW 1 Series facelift revealed [w/video]

While we don't get the BMW 1 Series at all in the US anymore, European buyers are getting a refresh of the luxury compact hatchback for the new year. Unlike the German brand's recent work on the 6 Series, the work is actually noticeable and improves things nicely. Up front, BMW keeps the changes subtle. The lower airdam is tweaked with larger air intakes and less chrome than before. The redesign and better sealing around the reshaped, narrower headlights also help optimize airflow and – in our eyes – improve aesthetics. LED running lights are standard now, and full LED units are optional. The more striking changes come at the back, where the 1 Series now wears the Bavarian brand's latest L-shaped taillights. The lights wrap around the sides and cut into the hatch to create a much more visually interesting look. The lower apron gets some small changes as well, and it all works together to create a more cohesive look. The BMW hatchback also gets some engine tweaks to go with its updated style. A new 2.0-liter four-cylinder is offered in 150-, 190- and 224-horsepower tunes. For those who want the best fuel economy, the 116d EfficientDynamics Plus makes 116 hp from a 1.5-liter turbo diesel and features active air flaps and redesigned kidney grille bars for better aero. The top-spec M135i with its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six gets a six-hp boost to 326 hp, too. Updates to the eight-speed automatic give it longer gearing and predictive shifting based on the vehicle's navigation system data. All of the new models hit the market in Europe later this year, specifically in late March for the UK. Read below for BMW's full list of tweaks and changes and to see it in motion on video. The BMW 1 Series for 2015 16.01.2015 Nearly two million 1 Series models have been sold since the introduction of the first 1 Series generation ten years ago. This latest incarnation builds on the winning formula of these three- and five-door predecessors with new power units from the latest BMW engine family, additional EfficientDynamics technologies fitted as standard, and careful enhancements to the exterior and interior design. The level of standard equipment is now even higher, new options have been added and with new mobility services from BMW ConnectedDrive, there are even more ways to increase the functionality and personalisation of the new 1 Series.

Official pics of BMW M235i surface ahead of coupe's debut

BMW isn't supposed to debut the 2 Series until tomorrow, according to Carscoops, but that hasn't stopped these photos of the 1 Series Coupe replacement from leaking onto the web. First picked up by a BMW 2 Series enthusiast site, the photos eventually found their way around the web, and complement the spy images we showed you of the uncovered 2 Series from almost six months ago.
This particular car is the M235i, and will serve as the range-topping 2 Series. As the number "35" is affixed to this car's tail, there's no question that the engine powering this example is BMW's turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder. As we reported earlier this month, power for the M235i should sit around 320 horsepower, blessing the 3,240-pound coupe with a 4.8-second sprint to 60 miles per hour when equipped with an eight-speed automatic (a six-speed manual is also available, but drops the time down to an even five seconds).
While this isn't a full-bore M car like the 1 Series M Coupe, it has been touched by the company's in-house tuning division, which means it sports a racier body kit, blacked out grilles and M-labeled interior items, like the steering wheel.