According to Inside Line, BMW is considering adding a four-cylinder engine to its engine range for the United States. To be honest, that’s not a big surprise, considering that Mercedes already announced that, starting with 2010, a four-cylinder diesel will be available. Plus that the 167 hp engine on the 320i and 120i sells very good in Europe, managing to get great fuel economy figures.

BMW project director Oliver Friedmann told Inside Line that bringing the four-cylinder engine to the US “would have a desirable effect on many fronts”. However, he added that North America is not ready for the diesel version of the 2.0 liter engine, which is one of the best engines in the BMW range.

Read More: "US BMW 3 Series might get four-cylinder engine"

The M3 is one of the best new sports sedans out there, being launched at the beginning of this year. It has really been a commercial success, but that hasn’t stopped BMW from bringing the facelift from the regular 3-series to this top of the line version. No doubt BMW’s customer service will have a hard time with with clients who have already purchased the now old model.

On the outside it has benefited from the changes of the regular 3-series, receiveing brand new tail-lights, inspired from the new 7-series and the trunk lid is now a bit more pronounced. The changes are a bit more numerous on the inside, a redrawn air grille captures the attention in the center console, plus new trim options and a new armrest are available now. The new version of the iDrive, with new controllers and buttons and fitted to a new 8.8 inch display, is also available on this model. Engine wise, there are no changes, the 4 litre V8 being left untouched by the german engineers.

More photos after the jump.
Read More: "The new BMW M3 Sedan Facelift (photos and details)"

The BMW 3 Series is selling pretty good but, facing strong competition from the Mercedes Benz C Class and the new Audi A4 (both being launched after the 3 Series), BMW felt it was time for the car to get a makeover. The 2009 3 Series received fresh front and rear styling and will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October.

The redesign features a new bumper, newly contoured hood and revised headlamps, plus a new grille the chrome “eyebrows”. The 3 Series also has redesigned side mirror casings, new talilights and newly shaped trunk lid and bumper.

The interior was pretty much left untouched, except for the revised armrest, new trim combos, a new high-resolution 8.8 inch display along with an updated version of BMW’s iDrive controller and a new optional 80-gigabyte harddisk.

Under the bonnet there are no changes, BMW offering the 3 Series with the same engines as before. The only change in the engine lineup is that the 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine, that develops 265 hp, will now be available in the United States too.

Overall, a pretty cool mid-life upgrade which will keep the BMW 3 Series up and going until the new generation arrives, don’t you think?

A complete photo gallery after the jump.
Read More: "BMW 3 Series facelift"

Back in September, we’ve showed you the AC Schnitzer GP3.10, which was a gas powered concept from AC Schnitzer, based on the new BMW 3 Series Coupe. When they presented it, the AC Schnitzer dudes claimed this was the fastest gas powered car in the world and now they’ve managed to prove that too, because they took the GP3.10 to the Nardo track in Italy, where the car was clocked at an impressive 197 mph (318.1 km/h).

And in case you’re too lazy to follow the link to our previous article, we remind you that the GP3.10 concept is powered by a heavy modified version of BMW M5’s 552 hp engine, which was adapted for the LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) fuel. The car goes from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.6 seconds and to 124 mph (200 km/h) in 13.6 seconds. AC Schnitzer valued this concept which they’ll never go into series production at about 196,000 Euro, however they say that some of the components might be used in the future. Enjoy the video!

Scheduled to be released sometime next year, probably third of fourth quarter, the 2008 BMW 3-Series Touring Wagon was spied while being tested on the streets in Germany. As we can see from the photos, the car will get new headlights and tail-lights, new bumpers and new air intakes.

The 3-Series Touring customers will be able to choose between a 268 hp 3.5 liter V6, mated with a seven-speed automatic transmission and a 228 hp 3.0 liter V6 engine (mated to a six-speed manual transmission). But things aren’t easy for BMW, because with Mercedes-Benz C-Class Wagon almost out and Audi preparing the S-Line for the A4 Avant, they are facing some pretty tough competition in this market.
Read More: "BMW 3-Series Touring Wagon Facelift Spy Shots"

After a few days ago we presented the AC Schnitzer GP3.10 here’s another cool tuning program for the BMW 3 Series Coupe, the Hamann Thunder.

Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the coupe is powered by a modified 5.0 liter V10 engine, that develops 552hp (411kW), sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). Transmission is made via a seven-speed SMG transmission and the engine’s extra power comes from a new high-flow exhaust system and ECU upgrade.

The car also got a more aggressive body-kit featuring carbon roof, front spoiler and rear diffuser. Hamann engineers fitted the coupe with huge 405mm two slotted and ventilated brake disks and 20 inch forged wheels. View a full photo gallery after the jump.
Read More: "Hamann Thunder tuning based on the BMW 3 Series Coupe"

German tuner AC Schnitzer got us used with some pretty nice tuning kits for BMW, like the Z4 M Coupe or the 3 Series Cabrio. Now they have an even more impressive tuning kit, this time designed for the 3 Series Coupe. Called GP3.10 (the GP letters come from Gas Powered), the high-performance coupe is powered by an LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) engine. Liquified Petroleum Gas is an alternative to regular petrol, which is both economically and ecologically. And what’s the best part is that, after a conversion, the fuel can be burned in almost any petrol engine and it produces around 15 percent less CO2 from the exhaust.

Powered by a 552 hp V10 engine based on the current M5/M6 engines, the Coupe sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in only 4.5 seconds, to 200 km/h (125 mph) in 13.9 seconds, only to stop at 320 km/h (200 mph). Handling is improved with AC Schnitzer racing suspension.

The body kit is impressive, with the mineral green special paintwork featuring characteristic air intakes on the front wings, with chrome ribs, rear skirt with integral diffuser, the rear roof wing with carbon center part, a cool sports grille on the front skirt, all covered in a mineral green special paintwork. But what I really like is the interior, with a 2 tone leather covering the whole inside of the car. That’s awesome. But here’s the bad news, no pricing is available for this car, because it is an unique creation, valued at around 200,000 Euro, that’s about $276,000.
Read More: "AC Schnitzer GP3.10 based on the BMW 3 Series Coupe"

Facing the tough competition of the excellent Mercedes C-Class and the upcoming Audi A4, BMW has started work on a facelift for the current 3 Series. Here are some spy shots presented by E90Post and we can see that the sedan will get a sportier look, with a more angular front bumper, a more rounded grille, a more sculptured hood, a sharper side skirt and a revised rear bumper with a different diffuser lip. We can see camouflage on the front bumper tail lights, so we can also expect some changes there.

Click ‘Read More’ to see more spy shots. Read More: "BMW 3-Series to get a sportier look in 2009"

The German tuner Hamann presented their modified version of the recently introduced BMW 3 Series Cabrio. Modifications include an aerodynamic body kit, engine upgrade and interior mods. The exterior modifications give the new 3 Series Cabrio a more aggressive look with a new HAMANN front spoiler, new side sills, HAMANN 4-pipe sport muffler plus 18, 19 and 20 inch wheels.

The 4-cylinder engine available for the BMW 320i got a power boost of 10 HP / 7 kW and 10 Nm torque, that takes the car to 233 km/h (5 more than the standard 228 km/h). The 6-cylinder gas engines on the BMW 325i and on the BMW 330i got an increase of 13 HP / 10 kW and 17 HP/ 12 kW and both about 25 Nm torque as well. Top speed goes to 250 and 265 km/h . An interesting feature is the 250km/h speed restriction deactivation included for the 330i. Most impressive is the BMW 335i which got a 37 HP power boost that speeds the car up to 279 km/h top speed. For the current diesel model 330d customers can expect a significant power boost of 272 HP/ 200 kW making possible a top speed of 256 km/h (standard: 245) and 600 Nm at 2000 rpm/min.

Of course, HAMANN customizes every 3-Series to individual customer requests. For example, luxurious leather upholsteries in a variety of colors are possible, as are extensive multimedia conversions featuring DVD player, TV or Playstation. Overall, the 3 Series Cabrio got a pretty impressive tuning package from Hamann.
Read More: "BMW 3 Series Cabrio Tuning by Hamann"

Lumma Design has released some renderings of its upcoming performance pack for BMW’s E92 Coupe. Lumma’s previous works, the CLR 600 and the CLR 500 RS were both based on M models, so this kit’s probably been designed specifically for the new M3 and it seems that the first production version will debut at Frankfurt in September, at the same time BMW will release the new M3.

The car will be powered by BMW’s new high-rev 4.0L V8 engine featuring probably some performance upgrades that should lift the engine’s output well beyond the 420hp figure of the M V8. From these renderings, we can see the BMW E92 Coupe by Lumma look very aggressive and will feature new front and rear bumpers, the latter integrating a custom diffuser and quad exhaust pipes, plus a carbon-fiber hood and 20″ wheels.

Click to see one more pic. Read More: "Lumma body kit for the new BMW E92 Coupe"

AC Schnitzer presented their modified version of the BMW 3 Series Cabrio, the AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio. The convertible is powered by a 3.0 diesel engine that produces 195 kW / 265 HP and a maximum torque of 550 Nm. The body kit includes a more sporty front skirt, which also increases downforce, side skirts and a rear skirt, plus Type II and Type III alloys and racing rims in various sizes from 17″ to maximum 20″.

For the interior of the AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio, an extensive range of high-quality accessories is available, like carbon steering wheel trim in silver Exclusive, AC Schnitzer speedometer display up to 300 km/h, footrests and pedals of aluminiumm, plus a carbon interior trim in silver Exclusive. The aluminium gear knob, handbrake handle and cover for the BMW “i-Drive System” are available in silver or black anodized finish. Velours foot mats complete the range. Read More: "BMW 3 Series based 2007 AC Schnitzer S3 Cabrio"