BMW M6 News

BMW's M will electrify every model in its lineup by the end of the next decade, but has all-but ruled out introducing a pure EV in the short-term future.

BMW’s second works entry in February’s Bathurst 12 Hour to be piloted by Bathurst legends Mark Skaife, Russell Ingall and Tony Longhurst.

Factory to back BMW M6 GT3 test at Mt Panorama ahead of February's Bathurst 12-hour endurance race.

Australian motorsport is set for a massive shake-up as BMW leads a new push into GT sports car racing in 2016.

The Frankfurt motor show is an event for cars that eventually come to market, rather than flights of fancy.

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 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

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.  

The M-enhanced version of BMW’s svelte 6-Series Gran Coupe has been one of the worst kept secrets of the year, with barely disguised prototypes, teasers and official comments all making it obvious a new M car was in the works. Now, BMW has finally revealed its new 2014 M6 Gran Coupe, ahead of a sales launch early next summer. Like the latest versions of the M5 and M6 coupe and convertible duo, with which it shares a platform, the M6 Gran Coupe follows a familiar path of performance tuning. Up front is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V-8 engine rated at 412 kilowatts and 678 newton-meters of torque. Power is sent rearward, first to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and then to a unique limited-slip differential before reaching the rear wheels. The special differential, dubbed the Active M Differential, is an electronically controlled multi-plate limited-slip differential programmed to optimise traction, stability and sporting character. The locking force within the differential is varied continuously between 0 and 100 per cent. In addition to the data provided by the car’s electronic stability control system, the Active M Differential’s control unit also takes into account the position of the accelerator pedal, the rotational speed of the wheels and the car’s yaw rate. Every driving situation is therefore analysed so that any loss of traction on one side of the car is identified early and the degree of axle lock adjusted as required. The engine, too, is a marvel of engineering. It produces about 10 per cent more output than the old M V-10, but the real story is torque, which is up 30 per cent and delivers its peak rating from 1,500 all the way up to 5,750 rpm. The rev-limiter is set at 7,200. The key to the engine’s prowess is a pair of turbochargers nestled in the V between the two cylinder banks in a reverse-flow layout. This layout results in an unusually compact engine where the intake is moved outboard and the exhaust inboard. The lengths of intake and exhaust tracts are also shorter, helping to reduce pressure losses. The engine is also aided by direct fuel injection, a relatively high fuel to air compression ratio of 10:1 and BMW’s Valvetronic valve timing technology. Other performance specs of the latest M car include aluminium-intensive suspension, reinforced chassis mountings, electronically-controlled shock absorbers, speed-sensitive hydraulic power steering and M-specific stability, anti-lock braking and transmission programming. At its peak, the M6 Gran Coupe will rocket to 97 km/h from rest in just 4.1 seconds and easily reach its electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h. To bring it back to rest, the car gets massive 15.7-inch brake discs up front and 15.6-inch discs at the rear. These are composed of steel and aluminium and are gripped by six-piston fixed callipers painted blue metallic and featuring the M logo. They’re housed within a unique set of 20-inch forged wheels.