Following on from our earlier post about the BMW M3 ute here is the full complement of 26 images released by BMW’s marketing department. Each can be viewed as wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images by clicking on the photos below.
Yes, it’s an elaborate April Fool’s Day stunt. But the car is real, BMW will register it and use it for internal purposes. Besides, an M3 ute is very, very cool. Who could possibly say no to that!
BMW has confirmed the E92 M3 ute spied at the Nürburgring last month is theirs. With 309kW/420hp, a 450kg payload and a top speed beyond 300km/h they reckon it’s the world’s fastest pickup. Honest!
There’s more pics and a presser from BMW after the break. Don’t forget to click on the pics to load 2000px super images.
UPDATE: AUSmotive’s full image gallery is available HERE.
BMW Australia has lent its support to a new initiative to rid the world of dodgy personalised plates. Check the video and press release from spokesman Pierce Tayker after the break and let us know what you think.
As the release of the MINI Coupé nears, public sightings are on the rise. Here, a pre-production Coupé sporting a JCW-style body kit, has been seen in California.
You can add the Coupé to the list of cars to make their first appearance at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s also expected they’ll be on sale down under before the year is out.
The Coupé and its Roadster sibling are likely to be the last models built on the second-gen MINI platform. The third generation hardtop, which will set the scene for future MINI styling, is due in 2013.
[Source: Jalopnik]
New spy shots of the next-generation BMW 1 Series hatch have recently emerged from the latest round of manufacturer testing at the Nürburgring. The most noticeable change on the F20 shown here is the enlarged kidney grille. Indeed the whole car looks bigger than its predecessor, which seems to be the way cars evolve these days.
It’s hard to tell with BMW’s famous camouflage graphics, but this new model looks a slightly better design solution than the current 1er hatch.
The F20 five-door hatch is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, with the F22 coupé to follow around 12 months later.
If you want to read more, including checking out a few more pics shown in larger sizes, make sure you follow the source link below.
[Source: 1addicts]
Here’s a new road safety ad from the State Government of Western Australia. There’s no blood and guts, just a calm, measured and composed message. It’s not quite got the same pull on the heart strings as the Embrace life TVC from the UK, but it follows a similar path.
After you’ve watched it let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Last week Mark Webber took time out of his busy schedule to launch the Renault Clio RS 200 Australian Grand Prix Limited Edition. Bit of a mouthful, hey!
There’ll be just 30 of these little pocket rockets sold, all in the Liquid Yellow paint shown here. At $39,990 the Limited Edition model carryies a $1000 premium over the regular Trophée version.
For the asking price you get a black painted roof and spoiler, Renault Sport Recaro front seats, Renault Sport monitor (for the first time on Clio), black Speedline Cup wheels, and shiny black exterior details. Interior trim is “Carbone” spec, as found on the Trophée.
Engine spec from the peaky naturally aspirated 2.0 litre remains 147kW/215Nm. Enough to get you to the ton in 6.9 seconds.
Word filtering through to AUSmotive says the 136kW Audi A1 1.4 TFSI will be priced around the $45,000 mark. A local launch is not too far away, either. After our Drive Thru in the 90kW A1 we discovered it is a ripping little car, albeit, a little hamstrung by its expensive price. The hottest A1 to date looks like continuing the trend.
So, mid 40s for an A1; compared to a MINI Cooper S, maybe it makes some sense. Maybe? Compared to a Golf GTI and its slightly larger hot hatch ilk, well, that begins to paint a much tougher picture for the A1. It’s also a lot more costly than its keenly priced Volkswagen Polo GTI cousin. But then, we can’t see wait lists of over 12 months afflicting the A1.
Last year Skoda raced a parts bin special Octavia RS-P at Targa Tasmania. This year the same car has been given an orange coat to mark the company’s sponsorship of new AFL team GWS. The changes run deeper, too, with the car altered to make it eligible to run in the two-wheel drive Showroom class at Targa 2011.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Targa Tasmania and the rally runs from 5–10 April. Entry numbers have swelled to near 400 for the anniversary event.
Here at AUSmotive we’re undecided on our opinion of the Porsche Panamera. But, we agree with the well-known phrase, “I’ve never met a horsepower I didn’t like.” So, on that basis, the case for approving of the Panamera has taken a step forward with the announcement of the Turbo S model.
With 410kW (550bhp) squeezed out of the 4.8 litre V8 biturbo, accompanied by a maximum torque figure of 800Nm, well, what’s not to like. It’s actually only a small increase over the “Powerkit” released last year. But, more is more and close hand reports tell us that the Panamera is an incredibly capable bit of kit, so we’ve no doubt it can handle this extra grunt.
Porsche’s boffins attribute the extra power to using titanium-aluminium turbine wheels and a tweaked ECU program. The uprated turbine wheels are lighter and can spin more readily, allowing the turbo magic to happen sooner.
That magic translates to a 0–100km/h time of just 3.8 seconds, going on to a top speed of 306km/h.
Further details from Porsche, along with more pics, can bee seen after the break.
UPDATE: Porsche Cars Australia has confirmed the Panamera Turbo S is now on sale locally, priced at $440,200 with customer deliveries beginning in October.
At the end of last year we said Audi had no plans for a B8-based RS4. Well, thankfully, this pic, showing what appears to be an RS4 testing at the Nürburgring, indicates that info was incorrect.
If those wheels look familiar that’s because you’ve seen them on the RS5 coupé. Essentially, the test mule you see here will be the estate version of the RS5. It’s expected the same 4.2 litre V8 will be used, and of course, you can expect the same quattro running gear. There are reports around hinting at a blown 3.0 litre V6, adapted from the current S4, or even a new twin-turbo V8. However, we reckon the 331kW 4.2 is your best bet.
It will be interesting to see if the RS4 is offered with a traditional manual transmission, or if Audi will limit it to a 7-speed S tronic.
Dates are unclear for the possible launch of a new RS4, but we could see the car as soon as mid next year. All we know is, since there hasn’t been an RS4 built since 2008, the wait has been far too long.
[Source: Autoblog | Pic: CarPix]
McLaren has just posted an overview of its 2011 Formula One steering wheel found on the MP4-26. Just what do all those buttons do?
To help with the explanation make sure you click on the image above, which will give you a 1600px image to work with. Then, head on over to the McLaren website and all will be revealed.
The number of settings that can be changed the drivers is amazing. It’s no wonder they claim the addition of KERS and the moveable rear wing controls is starting to make things too complicated.