BMW M Models 2015 News

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has published its latest round of safety recalls, with models from Ford, Mazda, BMW, Kia, Audi, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Lamborghini affected.

Audi has lifted the lid on its second-generation RS5 Coupe at the Geneva motor show.

Waiting for a new car is never easy. It could be a week or it could be a year — even longer — but a delivery hold-up still means delayed satisfaction.

Price cuts across BMWs M3 and M4 range amid equipment gains and detail tweaks.

The 6 Series has received a minor facelift for 2015 for the Coupe, Gran Coupe and Convertible models, although the improvements have come with a minor increase in prices.The petrol-powered BMW 640i and 650i will maintain the Coupe, Gran Coupe and Convertible bodystyles from the existing range, however all prices have risen by $925, bringing the starting points for the range up to $177,900 for the two-door coupe, $184,900 for the four-door, and $193,900 for the soft-top.The 640d Gran Coupe remains the only diesel option, and its price has risen by a mere $100 to now start at $184,900.Under the bonnet, things remain the same. The 640i range is powered by a 235kW/450Nm 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.Improvements have been made to combined fuel efficiency however, with the Coupe achieving 7.4L/100km (down 0.4L/100km), the Gran Coupe 7.5L/100km (down 0.4) and the Convertible 7.6L/100km (down 0.3).It's a similar story when you step up to the 650i, with the 330kW/650Nm 4.4-litre V8 and its eight-speed auto carrying over from the outgoing models.Again, fuel efficiency improvements are the order of the day with all 650i models improving their combined ratings by 0.3L/100km over the outgoing equivalents. The Coupe and Gran Coupe now achieve 8.6L/km, while the Convertible comes in at 8.9L/100km.For the 640d Gran Coupe, the 230/650Nm 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel and eight-speed auto remain. However, unlike its petrol brothers, its 5.7L/100km combined figure is unchanged.On the outside, the updated 6 Series range scores new front and rear bumpers and new grille design. The Coupe and Convertible now join the Gran Coupe in having adaptive LED headlights.For the driver, the new 6 Series standard inclusions now feature active cruise, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, AEB, lane change warning and parking assist. There's also an improved heads-up display.The Design Pure Experience option pack adds gloss-black detailing to the exterior, along with two-tone 19-inch alloys. In the cabin it adds cognac/black leather upholstery and brown wood trim.The Design Pure Excellence option pack adds white/black leather upholstery, leather covered dash, new switches and grey wood trim.Both option packs can individually be optioned with the alternate coloured leather and wood.The high-performance M6 models haven't missed out on the updates either, including the $925 increase in pricing.For the extra dollars the M6 now comes with the previously optional Competition Pack standard, bringing the it into line with the mechanically-identical M5, which scored a similar update in 2013.The Competition Pack brings more hardcore diff and suspension setups, sharper steering, M Dynamic drive mode and lighter 20-inch alloys.Under the bonnet, the 4.4-litre V8 now produces 441kW and 700Nm, a 29kW/20Nm improvement that hasn't come at the cost of fuel efficiency. That clocks in at 10.3L/100km, which matches the outgoing M6's number.All three models now make the dash to 100km/h 0.2s quicker. The fixed-roof versions now do it in an astonishing 3.9s, while the heavier Convertible is only 0.1s behind at 4.0s.

The new car market may not be performing but sports cars are.The latest VFACTS figures show Australians are racing to performance vehicles in record numbers and are happy to spend more than $100,000 to drive their dream car.The $80,000-$200,000 sports car segment is up more than 20 per cent so far this year and dedicated sports vehicles overall account for about one in 20 new cars sold.That doesn’t include go-fast versions of regular models, an area where the Germans continue to dominate.The move isn’t limited to prestige European brands: HSV is on track to eclipse 3000 sales in 2014. HSV marking boss Damon Paul says there’s still strong momentum forthe Gen-F range.Range Rover Sport sales have doubled this year to 2200, while Jaguar sales are up 15 per cent.Iconic sports car maker Porsche has had 44 per cent growth, with 2224 vehicles.The German trio — Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz — are all posting records.Audi’s S and RS models are the fastest movers and are likely to rival HSV in terms of overall sales this year.More than 2400 buyers have chosen Audi performance models, against about 800 sales at the same time last year. That number should surge over the next couple of months with the introduction of the S1 Sportback, which at $49,900 is the cheapest quattro model in the four-ringed line-up.Benz has shifted more than 2200 of its AMG-badged cars and can likewise expect a surge in sales after last month’s GLA45 AMG compact SUV launch.It is a similar story at BMW, despite a gap between the run-out of its old M3 and the launch of the new M3 sedan and M4 coupe/convertible.BMW has sold 1142 M-badged cars to October’s end, a 75 per cent increase on 2013.

The New York motor show in April will see the announcement of which vehicle has won the 2014 World COTY, and there looks to be a tough -- and very varied -- field of finalists.Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Golf, which also took awards in pretty well every country on the globe. But this year it could be anything from the little electric BMW i3 to the offroading Jeep Cherokee and even the Citroen C4 peoplemover, judging by the shortlist.A panel of 69 motoring experts from around the world -- including Carsguide's Paul Gover and National Motoring Editor Joshua Dowling -- will choose the winner from: Audi A3, BMW 4 Series, BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Ford Fusion/Mondeo, Infiniti Q50, Jeep Cherokee, Lexus IS, Mazda3, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.The 10 finalists for the 2014 World Luxury Car are the Bentley Flying Spur, BMW X5, Cadillac ELR, Cadillac Escalade, Maserati Ghibli, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Macan, Range Rover Sport and Rolls-Royce Wraith.Due to a tie, there are 11 finalists for the 2014 World Performance Car: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi RS 6 Avant, BMW M6 Gran Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, Mercedes-Benz A/CLA45 AMG, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Turbo and Volkswagen Golf GTI.A separate panel of five 'green' experts will choose the 2014 World Green Car from Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (+ Audi e-gas), BMW i3, Honda Accord Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Volkswagen XL1.Similarly, a panel of five design experts will decide on the 2014 World Car Design of the Year, from among: BMW i3, Cadillac CTS, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen XL1.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The growing number of supercars and other exotics being bought by Dubai Police shows no sign of slowing. The latest patrol cars spotted on the beat in the Gulf city are a BMW M6 Gran Coupe and a Ford

Photos of a slightly updated BMW M5 due on the market later this year have surfaced early, thanks to the inadvertent launch of the car’s configurator on BMW’s German website. The images were scooped by enthusiast website BimmerToday and have also appeared on WorldCarFans, however, BMW has since removed the configurator from its website. Our own spy shots of prototypes previously confirmed that an updated M5 was in the works, but now, thanks to these images, we can look past the camouflage gear. They show only minor updates to the car, which makes sense since the current ‘F10’ BMW M5 was launched on the market only last year. The changes consist of minor tweaks to the lights and a new grille that resembles the unit on the M6. Changes in the cabin are also barely noticeable, though we can see a slightly thinner steering wheel and what appears to be a new touch-pad integrated with the iDrive controller. Under the hood, BMW is expected to offer a new Competition Package for its updated M5 to better align the car’s performance with more powerful rivals such as the Audi RS 6/RS 7 and recently updated 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. The M5’s new Competition Package is expected to bump output from the car's twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V-8 to around 429 kilowatts. The standard power rating, however, will likely remain at 418 kilowatts. Now that images of the updated M5 have already hit BMW’s website, the official reveal should be taking place soon. We’re expecting the first cars in showrooms in overseas markets mid-year, which means they’re likely to list as 2014 models. www.motorauthority.com  

With the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG now offering as much as 430kW in ‘S-Model’ trim, the 412kW of the BMW M5 is starting to look a little feeble, at least in terms of bragging rights (we doubt most owners would be able to tell the difference). To rectify the issue, BMW is planning an upgrade for the M5, which Car and Driver is reporting will boost output to 423kW. The upgrade will likely arrive as a Competition Package and is said to be developed for both the M5 and M6. Being part of a Competition Package, expect a host of other upgrades including new wheels, brakes and tires. Revised suspension and a number of minor aero tweaks are also likely. Cars fitted with the Competition Package are expected to deliver 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) times around 0.1 of a second quicker than those with the current 412kW rating. This could mean 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds for local models. For those at home counting, that’s still 0.6s behind the new all-wheel-drive E 63 AMG S-Model available in left-hand drive markets. Look for the M5 and M6 Competition Package to be offered overseas by the mid-year, while the option is yet to be confirmed for Australian models. "We would absolutely be interested if such a package proves suitable for our market, but cannot confirm any M5 or M6 performance boosts at this stage", BMW Australia's Corporate Communications boss Lenore Fletcher said. "Australia has the highest per-capita takeup rate of BMW performance variants in the world." Ms Fletcher suggested the package could join the range when the M5 and M6 range is refreshed locally in the fourth quarter of this year.  Note, the power wars aren’t likely to end there. Audi’s RS 6/RS 7 duo is tipped to receive their own ‘Plus’ upgrades that could see output reach as much as  447kW. However, no official word of their release has been mentioned.