BMW 123d hanging out in Michigan

Imagine, if you will, a compact rear-wheel-drive hatchback that runs from 0-62mph in a very respectable 6.9 seconds. Not to shabby. Now imagine that this same car could average 45 mpg (US)! Not possible, you say? Au contraire! In other parts of the world where they don't just use gasoline to power cars, this is not an unheard-of possibility. One shining example is the BMW 123d, which was launched in Europe last year. Powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder diesel cranking out 204hp and 295lb-ft of torque, the 123d scores 45mpg (US) on the EU combined test cycle. For now at least, BMW isn't offering American consumers any of its four cylinder engines, but fuel system supplier Bosch has a fleet of European diesel vehicles that they use for promotional purposes. AutoblogGreen has previously tested the Smart ForTwo, Chrysler 300, and BMW 535d from this fleet and will soon be getting its paws on the three newest additions to the fleet. One of those cars is the 123d that you see above. Reader Typhoon5000 spotted this one in Flint MI the other day and shared some photos with us. Stay tuned for full reviews of this 123d and two other really cool diesels that you (unfortunately) can't buy. Thanks to Typhoon5000 for the tip and photos.

ACS1 Cabrio tuning program by AC Schnitzer

AC Schnitzer gives its 2008 BMW 1-Series tuning program yet another go. This time, the German tuner offers an upgrade package for the 2008 BMW 135i, 123d and 120d convertibles increasing their maximum available power to 360 hp, 240 hp and 200 hp respectively.

Needless to say, that the engine upgrade kit comes together with a height-adjustable race suspension and an exhaust silencer with chromed tail-pipes.

The visual part is covered with new body kit consisting of a front skirt with diagonal grille insert, new rear skirt lip and diffuser. The ACS1 Cabrio kit may be supplied with 17, 18 or 19 inch alloy wheels.

Inside the car, there is a set of silver-carbon details and aluminum accessories, new gear knob, pedals and velour floor mats.

Rendered Speculation? Is this the new BMW 7-Series?

Click image to enlarge

We don't know if the shot you see above is an official picture of the new F01 BMW 7 Series or not, but it looks to be a pretty accurate rendition of what we've seen so far in spy shots. The front of the car apes the design language of the BMW CS Concept rather nicely, with dual oversized kidney-shaped grilles dominating the rather sedate-looking headlights. The sides are mostly devoid of flame surfacing, with a high character line drawing the eyes to the rear where the bangle-butt of the old model gets major lipo. We also note that the design mimics the current high-beltline trend, reducing the total surface area of glass considerably.

All-in-all, this appears to be a rather conservative design as compared with the CS Concept, along with BMW's other efforts over the last few years. We'll reserve final judgement for the day we get to see the new 7 Series in the flesh, of course, perhaps in September at the Paris Auto Show. Thanks for the tip, Brett!

BMW X1 to be built in Leipzig

BMW announced today that it would begin building its entry-level CUV at the automaker's Leipzig plant, alongside the 1- and 3-series. The news confirms rumors that the X1, which has yet to be revealed publicly, will indeed be built on the 3-series platform, lending some amount of sporting cred to the mini 'ute.

BMW hasn't announced what exact markets the X1 is destined for, but the decision to produce in Liepzig is part of BMW's efforts to shift production into the regions in which its vehicles are primarily sold. As such, the next X3 will join the X5 and X6 at BMW's Spartanburg plant, instead of the Magna center where it's currently produced.

Expect the BMW X1 to be revealed later this year or early in 2009.

VIDEO: WebridesTV pits the BMW M3 against the Dinan 335i

Click above to view the shoot-out between the BMW M3 and the Dinan 335i.

This is a head-to-head battle we've been waiting to see: BMW's new M3 versus a Dinan-tuned 335i coupe. But we're only going to talk numbers and let the video tell the tale.

The BMW 335i has proven itself as a credible player in the sports coupe segment, particularly with a tweaked ECU to extract maximum output from its twin-turbo'd 3.0-liter inline-six. Dinan announced its Stage 3 package a few months back, which includes a fully-adjustable suspension and a handful of engine mods that bring output up to 406 hp and a kidney-punishing 460 lb.-ft. of torque (at 4,300 RPM). But it doesn't come cheap. All the necessary Dinan kit to get it up to Stage 3 spec (and get that nifty badge on the boot) costs around $14,000. But compared to the $71,000 $56,500 (no mark-up, no oxygen) base price of the new M3, it's still a steal. While the M3 has the peak horsepower advantage, you can't ignore the allure of the Dinan 335i's torque and lower curb weight. Will it be enough to match the M3? Hit the jump to find out.

Spy Shots: BMW 3-Series facelift

For
those fond of delving deep into E90 minutiae, these are the best shots
yet showing off the subtle changes coming to the BMW 3-series. For the
rest of us, the tweaks are largely inconsequential. World Car Fans has
unearthed some of the clearest shots yet, and the change that most
people will notice are the taillamps, which look to get a slightly
different shape. It even appears that the cutlines between the taillamp
pieces on the trunklid won't line up with the rest of the cluster
mounted in the quarter panel - asymmetry. The mirrors look to gain
large repeaters for the blinkers, possibly just a camouflage ruse, and
minor updates likely go on inside and underhood, too. Also likely to be
quite noticeable once the wraps come off is a reshaped front fascia,
which appears to place foglamps next to the license plate. Overall, a
mild refreshing until a new 3-series can be whipped up. In the
meantime, the new 7 will set the template for BMWs to come.

Rendered Speculation? Is this the new BMW 7-Series?

We don't know if the shot you see above is an official picture of the new F01 BMW 7 Series or not, but it looks to be a pretty accurate rendition of what we've seen so far in spy shots. The front of the car apes the design language of the BMW CS Concept rather nicely, with dual oversized kidney-shaped grilles dominating the rather sedate-looking headlights. The sides are mostly devoid of flame surfacing, with a high character line drawing the eyes to the rear where the bangle-butt of the old model gets major lipo. We also note that the design mimics the current high-beltline trend, reducing the total surface area of glass considerably.

All-in-all, this appears to be a rather conservative design as compared with the CS Concept, along with BMW's other efforts over the last few years. We'll reserve final judgement for the day we get to see the new 7 Series in the flesh, of course, perhaps in September at the Paris Auto Show. Thanks for the tip, Brett!

ZF modifies 8-speed tranny, now stop/start approved

In the name of increased efficiency, and quite possibly playing the game of automotive one-upmanship, luxury automakers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus have been adding more and more gear ratios to their automatic transmissions. By allowing a computer to choose the most appropriate ratio for any given scenario, the vehicle's engine is required to only make as much power as absolutely necessary, potentially saving fuel in the process. ZF, one of the largest transmission makers in the world, claims that their new 8-speed unit boasts an efficiency increase of eleven percent over its older 6-speed unit. The transmission giant has just developed a new modification, though, which could increase the overall vehicle efficiency even further. By adding a hydraulic impulse storage unit, the new ZF unit can support stop/start functionality, which they claim can result in an additional five percent reduction in fuel consumption.