2001 Bmw M3 on 2040-cars

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2015 BMW M3 and M4 configurator launched, no lunch hour safe

BMW has just made your lunch break a little more interesting by launching the configurators for the M3 and M4. Pricing and options for the new sports coupe and sedan was revealed just a few days ago, but it's always more fun to see the visual effect your personalizations have on the bottom line.
The M3 and M4 start at $62,000 and $64,200, respectively, without a $925 destination charge. However, as soon as the configurator is opened, both models default with metallic paint ($550) and the M Double-clutch Transmission ($2900), plus extended leather on the M3 ($950) and full leather on the M4 ($3,500). This is basically the way they were shown when displayed at auto shows. Of course, there's nothing preventing users from setting up these performance machines however they like.
So sit down at your desk with a cup of coffee or a sandwich and create your perfect German sport sedan or coupe. It's always fun to see how much money can be spent on a dream car.

BMW i8 Concours d'Elegance Edition is so cool it's Frozen

The new, one-of-a-kind BMW i8 Concours d'Elegance Edition made a ritzy debut last night at BMW's private villa, giving the media its first chance to look at the ultra-exclusive hybrid.
As we said in our previous post, the most notable feature of the Concours d'Elegance i8 is its matte grey paint, known as Frozen Grey Metallic in BMW parlance. This isn't the first time we've seen this shade on an exclusive BMW, as it was last used for the Frozen Grey M3 from 2010.
Contrasting quite nicely with the i8's flat paint are its blue and white accents, and its Dalbergia Brown leather upholstery. Blue contrast stitching complements the interior aesthetic, as do the embossed BMW roundels in the headrests.

BMW slapped with discrimination suit by EEOC

According to a report from CNNMoney, BMW has been hit with a lawsuit from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after revised criminal background check policies resulted in the dismissal of 88 contractors, 70 of whom (that's about 80 percent) were black. A total of 645 contractors were required to submit to background checks at BMW's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina after BMW switched contract companies at its plant.
Though the 88 persons who were not rehired by the new contractor all had criminal records, that may not necessarily be a legal way to screen applicants, as the EEOC counters: "BMW's policy has no time limit with regard to convictions. The policy is a blanket exclusion without any individualized assessment of the nature and gravity of the crimes, the ages of the convictions, or the nature of the claimants' respective positions."
BMW's actions were in violation of the Civic Rights Act of 1964, according to the EEOC, because they utilized "a criminal conviction policy that disproportionately screened out African-Americans." A recent bulletin offering guidance from the EEOC on the Civil Rights Act can be found here, but the EEOC's stance on the issue has been the same for years: "Since issuing its first written policy guidance in the 1980s regarding the use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions, the EEOC has advised employers that under certain circumstances, their use of that information to deny employment opportunities could be at odds with Title VII."