BMW Confirms Hybrid Variants of Next 3-Series and New FWD Subcompact

In a conference call earlier today regarding the company's interim report for the period ended 30 September 2010, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG confirmed plans to offer the next generation of the 3-Series as well as the firm's upcoming front-wheel drive subcompact with hybrid powerplants.

"We will continue to update our model range," said Reithofer. "This includes other hybrid offerings such as the new BMW 5 Series Sedan with hybrid drive starting in 2011. The next generation of the BMW 3 Series will also include hybrid models."

The F30 3-Series, pictured here testing in prototype form, is expected to enter the market in 2012 first as a four-door sedan, with the Touring, Coupe and Convertible models to follow shortly after.

The Bavarian firm's next model will be an entry-level, front-wheel drive model in the supermini-segment. It will sit under the current 1-Series in BMW's lineup, meaning the latter could be renamed as the 2-Series.

"In the future, we intend to participate even more in the growth of the small car segment," said Reithofer. "This is why we are also planning to offer smaller BMW models – positioned below the BMW 3 Series – with front-wheel drive. These models with front-wheel drive will also be made available to our customers with a hybrid engine."

BMW plans to cooperate with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group for the development of the FWD Hybrid model's drivetrain components.

"Our cooperation is focused on developing and producing components for hybrid front-wheel drives. Additional economies of scale will be achieved by pooling certain purchasing activities. I am talking specifically about e-drives, generators, and power electronics that control the interaction between a battery and electric drive," Reithofer added.

The entry-level FWD series could make its market debut as early as 2012.

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GM Confirms Entry-Level Cadillac to target BMW 3-Series, will be built at Lansing

We've known for a while that Cadillac plans to expand its line-up with new models including a smaller than the CTS entry-level sedan, and by doing so, target the likes of the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class.

Today, General Motors announced the new small Cadillac will be built at the Lansing Grand River assembly plant. The company said it plans to invest $190 million for this purpose, which will result in the creation of 600 jobs and the addition of a second shift.

"America's fastest-growing luxury brand this year is about to get even more competitive with the addition of an all-new small luxury car," said GM Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson. "This investment demonstrates GM's commitment to Cadillac and to a strong U.S. manufacturing base."

In a telephone interview for Autonews, Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork confirmed that the car will be a direct rival to the German competition. "We will have a car positioned below the CTS in our lineup to compete with the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes Benz C-Class" Mr. Twork said.

However, those were the only details Mr. Twork would provide, as he wouldn't reveal the new model's name, nor a launch date.

That leaves us with the rumored 2012-2013 time frame for the introduction of the smallest rear-wheel drive Cadillac.

Source: Autonews & GM

Bill Caswell to Convert E30 BMW into Baja Racer During SEMA Show

E30s seem to be popping up everywhere lately. After the impressive electric 3-Series from VST Conversions, we now have word that one Bill Caswell and his late 1980's E30 will be at SEMA thanks to Miller Electric Mfg. Co.

The "rally racer and ultimate DIY enthusiast" made news in March when he took on $100,000+ competition in an old 318i during Rally Mexico. While at SEMA, Bill will be converting a 1989 BMW 3-Series coupe [E30] into an off-road Baja blaster in order to compete in the SCORE Baja 1000's Sportsman class (starting November 17th). Now that's hardcore.

Here's a breakdown of Bill's SEMA welding schedule prior to tackling the rally: roll cage on day 1, front cage/suspension on day 2, rear cage/suspension on day 3, and "accessories" on day 4. Day 4's work will include finishing the main cage and crafting other Baja racing necessities such as a front brush guard, fuel cell, light bar, and more.

Miller Electric Mfg. Co.'s marketing VP Tim Swanson says, "Bill's passion for racing combined with his desire to create fits nicely with our vision...Rally and Baja racing requires a diverse skill set, from detailed fabrication and welding to high-speed driving. We're looking forward to watching Bill build and race the Miller car."

If you're interested, definitely follow the live updates on Bill's build during SEMA (which can be found at the link below).

By Phil Alex

About Bill Caswell (from Miller Electric Mfg. Co.):

Formerly a finance banker from Chicago, Caswell left his job in 2009 to focus on rally racing, competing in several races in the U.S. in cars that he built, modified and fabricated himself. Caswell made a name for himself in March of this year by placing third in the Rally America class of Rally Mexico, an FIA-sanctioned event run concurrently with World Rally Championship in Corona, Mexico.

Link: Miller

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BMW Recalling 151,000 Vehicles in the U.S. to Repair Fuel Pumps

BMW's North American division has issued two separate voluntary recalls of some 151,000 vehicles sold in the USA to fix fuel-pump defects that may reduce engine performance and in some models, even a loss of power assist for the steering and brakes.

The first recall concerns certain model year BMWs equipped with twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engines, including the MY2007-2010MY 335i, MY2008–2010 135i, 535i and X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupes, and MY2009 – 2010 Z4 Roadster sDrive35i. The Bavarian company said approximately 130,000 vehicles are potentially affected from this recall with about 40,000 expected to require a new high pressure fuel pump.

"Symptoms include long-crank engine starting times along with the illumination of the "Service Engine Soon" light. In certain cases, the driver may experience reduced engine performance in a Safe Mode accompanied by a tone and the illumination of the "Engine Malfunction" light," BMW said in a statement.

According to the company, the recall will entail replacement of the high-pressure fuel pump and/or a software update.

The second recall from BMW affects a total of 20,800 MY 2008 X5 Sports Activity Vehicles equipped with normally-aspirated inline six-cylinder engines to replace the low-pressure fuel pump.

BMW said that in this case, if the fuel-pump experiences a failure, "the engine will stop running and the driver will lose power assist for the steering and brakes although both the steering and the brakes remain operational."

For more information on the recall, owners of the affected models can contact BMW Customer Relations at 1-800-563-4269 or email CustomerRelations [at] bmwusa.com.

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BMW Announces Snow and Ice Training Courses, Celebrates 25 Years of AWD Models

Driving in the snow can be a lot of fun if you know what you're doing. But not everyone is an ace behind the wheel and even if they are, there's always room for improvement. Enter BMW's Winter Driving Experience event that offers special training courses all over Europe, in a variety of road conditions.

For starters there's the BMW Snow Intensive Training course in Sölden (Austria), where you can fine tune your braking and steering technique driving the new BMW X3, 5-Series and the M3, on both uphill and downhill routes.

After mastering the basics, you can switch to the BMW Snow Drift Training, also held in Sölden, where you can drift for a half a day in a 420 hp M3, yodeling all the way.

Finally, you can go to the Artic Circle and take part BMW's Ice Fascination Training, held at the famous Arjeplog (Sweden) test facility. M3s with spikes will be at your disposal as you'll try to hone your skills over specially prepared areas of ice. You will learn when to turn into a corner, how to counter-steer and stabilize a rear-wheel drive car. Or maybe not. Maybe you'll crash all day into the snow banks.

Either way, there's lots of fun to be had for four, five or six days, depending on what course you opt for and previous experience. For more information on bookings and prices, you can visit BMW's dedicated website at www.bmw-drivertraining.com.

Now, all this talk about snow and drifting brings us to the second item on our list: the 25th anniversary of all-wheel-drive, or xDrive, as BMW likes to call it.

It all started in 1985, when the Bavarian engineers fitted the E30 BMW 325iX with permanent all-wheel-drive.

Today, xDrive has an important place in the company's portfolio, as one in four BMWs sold are equipped with the AWD system .

Currently there are 45 models which benefit of the variable distribution of drive between the front and rear wheels, from the compact 3 Series all the way up to the luxurious 7 Series.

By Csaba Daradics

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