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BMW M4 to debut in Detroit, lose manual transmission

BMW took the wraps off its M4 Concept at Pebble Beach last weekend, and many speculated that the highly anticipated production version of the sleek new two-door sports coupe would debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year. But a well-placed source tell Autoblog that the E92 M3's successor won't arrive in Southern California this November. Instead, the German automaker will wait until the Detroit Auto Show in January for its first official reveal.
An all-new 3.0-liter inline-six with twin turbochargers is expected under the hood, and it should provide about the same horsepower as the current 4.0-liter V8 (rated at 414 horsepower), but with much more torque that arrives lower on the tachometer. The lightweight engine is said to have an impressively high redline, which is unusual for a turbocharged engine.
Unfortunately, Save the Manuals members aren't going to like this next bit of news. After four generations of three-pedal M3 models, our source says the upcoming F82 M4 will arrive with a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) as standard equipment - with no manual option - just like the latest iteration of the track-ready Porsche GT3 (few have complained about the automaker's PDK after driving the latest sports car from Stuttgart). In exchange for some moans, groans and gripes from enthusiasts, BMW's DCT mounted aft of the M4's inline-six will provide quicker acceleration and improved fuel economy.

BMW Films are on the way back [w/videos]

The BMW Films series caused a stir in 2001 and 2002 by combining top-quality cinematography, Hollywood names and driving excitement to sell its sporty wares in a whole new way. By arriving five years before YouTube, they ranked as some of the earliest viral videos on the internet. By now, these sorts of films are almost commonplace, but back when BMW hit upon the idea, the idea of brand-integrated short films on the internet was still a novelty. Now, for the first time in over a decade, the German automaker is planning on bringing back BMW Films for a new season.
Trudy Hardy, BMW North America Vice President of Marketing, announced the series' return at the 2014 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, according to Ad Age. However, neither the German brand nor Anonymous Content, the original production company, have been willing to comment further on when the new videos are coming.
The original series of eight films starred Clive Owen as the Driver (back then, Owen was largely unknown to American audiences), a mercenary who would take a variety of jobs and always drive a BMW. David Fincher executive produced the first season and directors included top names like John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee and Guy Ritchie. All of the second season movies had Owen driving a Z4, but in our estimation, the quality had fallen off a bit compared to the outstanding first season.

BMW web sales plan opposed by German dealers

Tesla isn't the only manufacturer that is facing a backlash over its plans to sell cars directly to customers. BMW is under fire from its German dealerships over its desire to sell its cars via the internet.
BMW has plans to sell the new i3 through the World Wide Web, while a "Mobile Sales Force" will be making house calls. According to Automotive News Europe, Head of German Sales Roland Krueger told German weekly Wirtschaftswoche, "We can imagine that Internet sales could be expanded to all models." This is the particular caveat that has traditional brick-and-mortar dealers so up in arms.
According to the head of BMW's German dealerships Werner Entenmann, "We told BMW in no uncertain terms that we cannot accept direct sales channels." Reuters reports that an anonymous dealer has gone so far as to pledge not to use the sales force in Germany. Krueger, for what it's worth, told Wirtschaftswoche that the "backbone" of BMW sales will still be traditional dealerships.