BMW Fans Imagine New 1-Series Coupe, Cabrio and M Models

The all-new BMW 1-Series five-door hatchback has only just been announced, yet bimmer enthusiasts are already dreaming up the car’s future lineup. Some of the more talented individuals went one step further drawing up renderings of the Coupe and Convertible models, which as we recently reported, may or may not carry the 2-Series sticker as part of broader change in names, and even a three-door hatchback with the famed M badge.

Follow the break to check out the creative work of the members of Bimmerpost and leave your thoughts below.

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BMW Officially Lifts the Veil on 2012 M5 with 560HP V8 Turbo [154 High-Res Photos]

With the first photos of the all-new 2012 M5 making the internet rounds since the early hours of Wednesday morning, BMW decided to lift the embargo and officially present the fifth generation of its high-performance saloon.

As with all previous M5s since the introduction of the first generation model back in 1984, the most important highlight of the car is tucked away behind the double kidney grilles. This time, BMW’s M division opted for a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that replaces the previous M5’s more exotic but less powerful, naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V10 with 507HP.

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2012 BMW M5: First Official Photos Leak on the Internet

These are the first official pictures of the all-new BMW M5. It is based on the latest generation of the 5-Series, the F10, and boasts all the visual cues that you expect from a car that has been honed by BMW’s famous M-division: namely huge air intakes in the front bumper, side vents in the front wings bearing the M-logo, 20-inch wheels with 265/35 front and 295/30 rear ZR-rated tires, and twin tailpipes at either end of the rear diffuser.

As anticipated, the new model breaks with tradition by using a twin-turbocharged V8 (the outgoing M5 had a V10 and the one before that a V8, with the previous versions making do with in-line straight sixes, all naturally aspirated) sourced from the X5 M and X6 M.

Losing two cylinders and gaining two turbochargers seems like a fair trade, though, since the new M5’s output is up by 45 hp, from 507 to 552, and, more importantly, maximum torque has risen from 383 to 501 lb-ft (53,0 to 69,4 kgm).

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BMW Rumored to Rename New 1- and 3-Series Coupes into 2- and 4-Series. What Do You Say?

Citing unnamed sources from within the brand, Britain’s Car Magazine reported on Tuesday that BMW is seriously entertaining the idea of renaming the next generation of its two-door 1- and 3-Series models into the 2- and 4-Series respectively.

The new badges would be applied on the two-door coupe and convertible as well as the sportier GT fastback models of the future 1- and 3-Series lineup.

As some of you may recall, this is not the first time that BMW has toyed around with the thought of turning the 3-Series coupe and convertible into the 4-Series, with the Bavarian company coming very close to executing the idea in the beginning of the new millennium.

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BMW Crafts Special 760Li Individual Limos for The Charles Hotel in Munich

The guests at The Charles Hotel in Munich, Germany, can now savor the services of BMW’s finest as the Bavarian carmaker has just handed over to the hotel the keys to a pair of special limousines based on the flagship 760Li, which come equipped with a twin-turbocharged V12 engine churning out 544-horsepower. Read more »

Latvian Tuner Wraps BMW 3-Series in Crocodile Leather

There’s something about cars and animal leathers / prints that attracts certain tuners from Russia and the former Soviet states. You all remember the Russian design-house Dartz and it real whale penis leather-equipped Prombron and snake skin-covered Bentley Continental GT SS. Now another tuning firm called Vipon, this time from neighboring Lithuania Latvia, has come with a new animal leather themed proposal based on a pre-facelift E90 BMW 318i sedan. Read more »

Official Patent Designs of BMW’s New Four-Door Sports Coupe

Last April, from the sidelines of the 2010 Beijing Auto Show, BMW displayed a thinly disguised concept model of a sporty-looking sedan model named the Gran Coupé. Now, it looks like that the Bavarian automaker is preparing for the presentation of the final production model as the company has just filed a patent for the designs of its so-called four-door sports coupe.

The images outline the shape and details of the production version that will most likely go on sale in early 2012. By comparing the drawings of the production car with the photos of the concept model, we see that BMW has made some subtle styling changes to the front with the redesigned bumper featuring a center grille on the lower part as well as to the rear, which sports re-positioned and re-sized reflectors and different tail pipes.

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BMW Launches New 2011 Frozen Black Edition M3 Coupe for North America, Costs $21,000 More!

BMW has dropped information on a new limited edition version of its M3 Coupe for the North American market. The 2011 BMW Frozen Black M3 Coupe will be available in a limited production run of 20 units for the USA, each priced at a hefty $79,650 (~€55,500), not including a $875 destination charge.

So what does a $21,000 premium over the standard M3 Coupe get you other than a very happy salesperson and an even merrier dealer? Well, in typical BMW fashion, not much as the special edition M3 Coupe is a cosmetic package with some minor mechanical upgrades.

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The BMW 1 Series M Coupé Drifts Through Walls in new Canadian Ad

BMW of Canada has published a new and rather entertaining promotional film on the firm’s new limited production 1-Series M Coupe. The video shows the Bavarian automaker’s sports car pushing its 335-horsepower twin-turbocharged inline-six to the limit and burning plenty of rubber in doing so while passing sideways through set of imaginary walls on the road.

Truth to be said though, BMW’s advertising agency could have skimped on the somewhat farcical CGI (computer-generated images) cement walls and still have an engaging commercial in its hands. Take a look at it in the video after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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BMW Takes Top Spot Among Automakers and 4th Overall in New Study for the World’s Most Reputable Companies

A recently released study by research-based consulting firm Reputation Institute, found that BMW is considered the world’s most reputable company in the automotive sector and fourth overall behind Google, Apple and the Walt Disney Company. German automakers in general performed well in the study with Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart, ranking 7th overall, while Volkswagen finished in 10th place, followed by Honda (29), Toyota (60), Nissan (61) and Suzuki (63). Read more »

New 2012 BMW 1-Series Hatch gets its own Short Films

After the unveiling of the 2012 1-Series 5-door hatchback, it is time for BMW’s marketing team to take over and promote the Bavarian automaker’s latest product. The German company created a series of short films around the 1-Series starring two brothers, named Freddy and Adam.

According to the script, Freddy is an actor and a model leaning towards metrosexuality, while Adam dislikes cameras and works with architects, and is the wilder one of the two brothers. The goal here is to show off the double nature of the 1-Series hatchback, and especially the introduction of the two new trim lines, Sport and Urban, both of which gain bespoke interior and exterior design as well as equipment features.

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New Scoop Photos Shed More Light on 2012 BMW 3-Series Sedan

With the new 1-Series out in the open, it is time for us now to take a look at the next car in line for replacement in BMW’s range, the 3-Series sedan with these freshly shot spy photos. As we’re nearing closer to the launch, BMW continues to peel away the disguise with the latest F30 prototype having shed not only plenty of swirly decals but also the fake front and rear end additions giving us a better look of the car’s styling.

BMW hasn’t really messed around with the design of the 3-Series since the introduction of the E36 in 1990, and the new F30 isn’t an exception to the rule. The styling of the F30 is a clear evolution of the current E90 3-Series borrowing certain elements from the 5-Series such as the stronger belt-line combined with a lower and more aggressive front end with larger double kidneys. Previous spy shots reveal that BMW will follow a similar formula with the 3-Series’ interior.

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U.S. Government Focusing in on Web Gadgets that Distract Drivers

We are all living in an age of networked information. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and public internet access are making the world smaller every day. Unfortunately, in some instances all this information can distract us from the important things, such as focusing on driving. And no one agrees with this more than U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

“We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices. But there's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car. It's not necessary. "

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2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe hits the Tuning Scene

The newest member of BMW’s high-praised family of M models has just begun arriving in the hands of its owners, yet we already have one of the first tuned examples of the 2012MY 1-Series M Coupe. A member of the 1addicts forum, who goes by the nickname Flex///M, owns the car you see pictured here and which has been baptized “Clockwork Orange”.

The list of modifications include a mix of performance and styling bits such as collection of decorative carbon fiber parts for the exterior, a different steering wheel, forged alloy wheels and a KW sports suspension.

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BMW Reveals 2012 1-Series M Sport Package and Online Configurator

BMW is wasting no time in pushing the marketing envelope on its brand-new “My, what big eyes you have” 2012 1-Series as the Bavarian automaker has already released an online configurator on its German website only two days after the hatchback model’s debut.

Aside from allowing potential buyers and time-wasters alike to configure the 2012 1-Series hatchback, the dedicated webpage also serves us our first taste of the M Sport Package. The option group includes a new aero kit comprising of M parts such as the front and rear bumpers, a sports-oriented chassis set-up, and bespoke alloy wheel designs.

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All-New 2012 BMW 1-Series: Official Specs, Details and 126 High-Res Photos

With imagery of the brand new 1-Series hatchback making the internet rounds since Friday, it was only a matter of time before BMW came out with an official release and a full set of photos. The Bavarian firm’s entry-level model sports has grown in size and sports fresher –albeit, somewhat more controversial- looks, while also introducing a new generation of 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engines with up to 170HP.

For its debut, BMW chose to show the five-door hatchback model, but the range will eventually grow to include a three-door hatchback followed by the coupe, cabriolet and if the grapevine holds true, a longer and more spacious Gran Turismo version in the likes of the 3-Series GT we recently showed you in these spy shots.

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2012 BMW 1-Series Unveiled, gets New 1.6-liter Turbo Engine with up to 170HP [Updated with 60 High-Res Photos]

We knew that the next generation of the BMW 1-Series was coming but we didn’t expect to see the compact hatchback making its appearance so early. These official photos along with the first details showed up on a German website called Motor Traffic, as BMW has not yet made an announcement.

Seen here in a five-door format, the new 1-Series evolves the current model’s styling with sharper and more prominent creases all around along with a much more pronounced front end that sports unusually large headlamps pushed to the far corners of the bumper literally hugging the wheel arches.

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BMW Introduces M3 Carbon Fiber Limited Edition, but Only for China

Chinese customers love a good limited edition model and BMW tries its best to keep them happy. Not long ago, BMW had released the China market-only M3 Matte Edition and M3 Tiger Edition. During the BMW M Legendary Experience event held in China last week, the Bavarian automaker lifted the covers off yet another special M3, the Carbon Fiber Limited Edition of which only 111 examples will be built at a price of 1.23 million yuan (approximately US$189,800 at today’s exchange rates) a piece. Read more »

BMW and Cundari Produce the World’s Longest Internet Ad

In what’s either a clever bit of marketing or an epic jumping the shark moment, Canadian ad firm Cundari has produced what it claims to be the longest banner ad ever for the BMW X3.

The ad, which measures 300 by 18,000 pixels (!) when fully extended, contains some 5,500 words of text and just goes on and on and on. So much so that I just skimmed through, trying to figure out if there was a point to it. It certainly didn’t make me want to buy an X3, but maybe that’s not what Cundari was trying to achieve.

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Hail Fail: BMW 5-Series Owner Tries to Save His Car by Dressing it Up…

Unless you are able drive into to an enclosed garage nearby, there’s not really much you can do to protect your car -or anything else in danger for that matter- if you are caught out in a severe hail storm. However, this doesn’t mean that some people won’t try to prevent the inevitable like this owner of a previous generation BMW 5-Series sedan.

Said to be a Croatian tourist on a visit to Slovenia, the owner of the Bimmer attempted to save the body of his beloved car by covering it up with whatever he could find. In this case, the only available items were some clothes he had in a plastic bag. Somehow, it doesn't seem like such a great idea... Watch the clip right after the break.

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